Earlier this year, television host Katie Phang was packing for a trip to New York City when her eight-year-old daughter Charlotte approached her with an unusual request. Knowing she herself couldn’t accompany her mother, Charlotte asked if at least her beloved stuffed bear Franky could come along. Phang
Charlotte made a pitch that Franky “never traveled outside of our house,” and she really wanted him to “see the world.” It was enough to convince Phang, and the stuffed bear boarded the plane to NYC.
Despite spending only a short amount of time in New York, Phang made sure that Franky gets to “see” as many sights as possible. She documented his adventures to show her daughter but also to share with her followers on Twitter.
Franky got to explore some of New York City’s most popular tourist attractions, hang out at the set of MSNBC, and much more. He also became a huge internet star, with Phang’s Twitter posts attracting millions of views and numerous comments.
When she got home, Phang told Charlotte all about Franky’s time in New York, and the little girl was ecstatic that her plan worked out.
“She was so excited that people loved Franky,” Phang told Yahoo Life. “It fits its purpose, right? She really wanted him to see what the world was like. I asked her, ‘Well, now that he’s seen it, what do you think?’ And she goes, ‘Well, now he can tell me about it.’”
