>>8491496Yeah, sad eyed kid paintings were a thing back then.
The whole "orphan rescue" theme is quite common in the doll & plush market. There's always some toyline about adopting orphans (Like Cabbage Patch Kids.) or animals. (Pound Puppies.) These "Rescue Runts" are the latest toyline to do just that.
You could make the argument that kids should adopt real animals from the pound, not a plush from the store. A counter argument to that is that some kids are not ready for that responsibility due to age & immaturity. At least pretending to take care of a dog is preparing the child to take that next step into getting a dog and being responsible for it later in life. Ya knoe, what a toy is supposed to do.