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A few days ago, while paging through an old photo album, I came across a picture of myself holding a familiar friend. It was my Charmin' Chatty doll! There she was, in her crisp little sailor dress, black spectacles, and saddle shoes! I hadn't thought of her for years and I immediately wondered what had happened to her. I began digging through my parent's basement and attic, looking for any trace of her, but none was to be found.

Thankfully, she was not lost to me forever. When I got home, I began searching for her in a whole new way. I sent my Loyal Robot after her. He immediately began trolling eBay, looking for any reference to Charmin' Chatty and her younger cousin, Cathy. Within seconds, he had found her. Not only had he found Charmin' Chatty, but he'd found several of her accessories: from records to slippers to coloring books.

The "Loyal Robot" I used is actually a website called loyalrobot.com. Loyal Robot is programmed to search out vintage toys for those who are trying to recapture favorite memories from their childhood. His motto is, "Faithfully retrieving all of the stuff you loved as a kid." And Loyal Robot is true to his word! It wasn't long before I had Charmin' Chatty back in my hands, spectacles and all!

The format of loyalrobot.com is fun and easy to use. It's free and there is no registration or setup. You simply choose a category from the menu or type the name of the toy you are looking for into the search feature. Within seconds, Loyal Robot displays the results for you, along with the price, number of bids, and time left in the auction. When you find what you're looking for, you simply click on the item and you will be taken directly to eBay where you can place your bid.

Loyalrobot.com is not only useful to those looking for a specific toy; it is also an entertaining place to snoop around. After I found my old friend, Charmin' Chatty, I spent some time browsing the different categories, looking for other memorable items. Because loyalrobot.com specializes in vintage and retro toys, I was able to find a replacement thermos for my vintage Barbie lunch box and a familiar red Etch-a-Sketch, still in its original package!

It's true, I could have gone straight to eBay to conduct my search, but it was much more fun to do it with my Loyal Robot friend. He is able to sort through all the irrelevant information on eBay and get straight down to business. As stated on the Loyal Robot website, "The Loyal Robot is a friend to anyone who has ever had that sinking feeling when realizing that you have lost all the classic toys and collectibles you had as a child. And now you want them back. The Loyal Robot spends 24 hours a day, 7 days a week scouring the internet searching for all the classic, vintage, retro toys and items that you had as a child so that you can restore your lost stuff and become whole again."

As a matter of fact, I seem to remember a Yo-Yo I had when I was in seventh grade. It was a "swirly" kind of gold color and I used to take it to school with me. I think I'll send Loyal Robot out to find it. It will be interesting to see if I can still "Walk the Dog," "Rock the Cradle," and go "Around the World."

http://www.loyalrobot.c om/

Learn more about this author, Rebecca Carroll.
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