Latest news with #BrendaAllen
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Grandmother, 95, hailed as a 'national treasure' for 'perfect' viral video about her collectable toys
A grandmother has become an unlikely online internet sensation after showcasing her adorable cuddly toys on TikTok - but admitted that she doesn't want her fame to last for long. Brenda Allen, who resides in a Majesticare Luxury Care Homes branch in Evesham, has been hailed a 'national treasure' after she went online to speak about her quirky, cuddly toys, with some people even going as far as to say they would 'die for Brenda and her Jellycats'. The soft plushies are available in an array of shapes, characters, and objects, from bunny rabbits to surf boards and are particularly popular with Gen Z and Millennial women who are splashing their cash to build up their collections. The 95-year-old was encouraged by one of the carers at the home to make a TikTok video, with the employee saying: 'This is my resident Brenda and she wants to show you her Jellycat collection and you better be nice!' And it wasn't long before Brenda was showing off her adorable stuffed avocado named Florence. The pensioner said: ''This is my avocado... this is the first one I've had and she has a knitted hat... she's got a pom pom hat so she's a little girl.' Her haul also included a green peas in a pod, two birds and a cute smiling pain au chocolat Jellycats. She added: 'Now anyone would think I've been to France because this is what they call a pain au chocolat, and that's French, and I learnt French at school, so I like him. He's got chocolate going all the way through him. By the end of the short clip, Brenda had mastered the art of comedic timing, joking that her mushroom toy was a 'very fun guy'. The TikTok amassed more than a whopping 2.4 million views on TikTok, with users from around the world hailing Brenda a 'legend', with some asking to see more clips of her speaking about the collectable toys. One wrote: 'French lady here. Very proud of sweet Brenda for pronouncing 'pain au chocolat' so perfectly. Lovely Jellycat collection as well!' Another penned: 'I bet Brenda was a teacher - she is giving teacher energy.' A third said: 'I'd die for Brenda and her jellycats.' A fourth commented: 'Brenda is a legend. She needs to record some bedtime stories. Her voice is so soothing.' Others were even tagging the official Jellycat account in the comments to try to ensure that Brenda was on their radar. And it worked, with Jellycat eventually responding: 'We absolutely loved watching your Jellycat collection Brenda! Thanks for being an amazing Jellyfriend.' John Lewis also chimed in and said: 'Protect Brenda at all costs. And her Jellycats.' The department store, Jellycat and kind strangers then surprised her with an array of new additions for her growing collection of stuffed toys. Brenda - who has had her videos re-posted by Love Island stars - unboxed a latte cup from John Lewis, to which she said: 'Isn't that lovely?' 'Overwhelmed' with the level of love and support on her videos, she also revealed that she's going to continue collecting the cuddly plushies with the plan of selling them to raise money for charity. When she received another parcel from the Jellycat team, she gasped as she unboxed a yellow sunflower toy, a blue bunny and a bumble bee. 'I want to take [the bunny] to bed,' Brenda said, before one of the carers responded: 'Well you can, you can sleep with him every night!' She also then received another package from a fan named Anna, who came across Brenda's video and wanted to spread some joy. She sent the grandmother a treasure chest with some stickers and wrote: 'Brenda, as you're our new national treasure on TikTok, I hope you enjoy adding this treasure chest to your collection, lots of love, Anna.' 'Thank you to all you lovely ladies who sent me some Jellycats following my little talk about them and now I've got a collection that people have sent and I am so grateful for it and I'm sure [I will put them] to a good cause.' Brenda said that she initially only had the avocado one for a long time but had racked up more and more gradually when she received them as gifts. It wasn't long after the first video was posted that the care home started getting people calling up wanting to send more Jellycats to Brenda. Speaking to the Guardian, Brenda said: 'One of the girls asked me to do a video. I didn't know what it was for, really. She just said would I do a little video for her about jelly cats? So I said yes, and it's gone from there. It's gone mad. I've had some lovely messages. Everyone thinks I have a nice voice, apparently.' However, while the care home resident appears to be flattered by her online stardom, she doesn't want her fame to continue for much longer. She added: 'I don't want to keep it on too long, I'm 95, you know.' Her daughter, Julie, said the family had been 'blown away' by her cult following, telling the outlet: 'We don't quite understand it, but it's amazing and it's lovely.' Brenda is now planning on using her internet stardom for good by auctioning off her Jellycat toys to donate the money to a local children's hospice.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Brenda, 95, and her soft toys become unlikely stars on TikTok
The anger and polarisation often on display on social media have made it a stressful place to venture for many people, wary of its unpredictable pile-ons and bile-filled responses. Yet a 95-year-old Cheshire woman and her soft toy collection have become the unlikely stars of a trend to encourage kindness in the comments. Brenda Allen said she had been flabbergasted by the response to her recent TikTok videos, in which she talks about her quirky Jellycat figures. Encouraged by a staff member at her care home, she began by showing viewers a hat-wearing avocado named Florence. Her haul also features a cuddly pot plant and a squashy, smiling pain au chocolat. Her breakthrough video showed a flair for comedy, ending with her observation that her mushroom teddy was 'a very fun guy'. Her videos have now amassed more than 2m views on the site, as well as thousands of comments from people across the world asking if they can adopt her as their social media grandma and calling her a national treasure. She has since been sent additions to her collection from Jellycat and John Lewis - and her videos have been reposted by Love Island contestants. The only negativity has come from her budgie, Toto, who isn't too keen on her cuddly blue tit and robin. '[The avocado] was my only one for a long time, then, gradually, some people have given me more of them,' Brenda said. 'But all of a sudden, after the media thing, I was inundated with people ringing me and wanting to send me toys and everything. It was quite incredible. 'One of the girls asked me to do a video. I didn't know what it was for, really. She just said would I do a little video for her about jelly cats? So I said yes, and it's gone from there. It's gone mad. I've had some lovely messages. Everyone thinks I have a nice voice, apparently.' One of her Majesticare care home's staff members posted the first video. It referenced the recent 'you better be nice in the comments' trend, which has gained momentum as users search for more wholesome content on their timelines. It began in the US, where creator @yearningyardis posted a video of her boyfriend talking about his pot plants. She tells viewers – in a comically threatening way – that they better 'say something nice' about him. That prompted others to make videos about the often eccentric hobbies of their friends and families. One even features a collection of tractor manuals. Celebrities including Ant and Dec have also become involved. Their video features Dec showing off Ant's artwork, menacingly ordering commenters to be kind. Brenda's daughter, Julie, said the family had been 'blown away' by her newfound fame. 'We don't quite understand it, but it's amazing and it's lovely,' she said. 'What has blown me away is how lovely everybody has been. I don't think I've ever seen anything where all the comments are positive.' Care home residents venturing to the local garden centre have already been asked whether they know Brenda, as word of her notoriety has spread. She is now planning to auction her Jellycat toys and donate the proceeds to a local children's hospice. Understandably, however, Brenda is content with only a brief moment of internet fame. 'I don't want to keep it on too long,' she said. 'I'm 95, you know.'
