Natalie Wood was taught a lesson by a tiger
“Many people have asked me about my much-prized collection of toy tigers—of why and how I started it. Few of my friends even know that it is symbolic, not just a childish fad—and it had its beginning on Christmas Day in Santa Monica when I was twelve years old.
We were a happy family, my mother and father and two sisters. I was doing fairly well as a child actress, a sort of juvenile celebrity in the neighborhood, and if I wasn’t exactly stuck-up, I must admit I thought pretty well of myself! I was used to receiving far more than I gave in both attention and gifts.
This Christmas, in the midst of opening all my many pretty presents, a friend of mine named Martha, the little, fat girl from down the street, came in. She had brought me a gift. It was a toy tiger, with the cutest, silliest little face—and to say I was surprised is putting it mildly.
I knew, for sure that Martha had wanted. this tiger herself. We had both seen it in a store on one of our shopping expeditions and fallen in love with it. And yet she had spent a generous portion of her Christmas money to buy it for me!
To make matters worse, in my own self-absorption, I had no gift for Martha! I quickly ran to my bedroom and wrapped up one of the presents I had received—but it wasn’t the same. It taught me a wonderful thing:
Every year after that I bought, before anything else, a toy tiger to remind me to give always with my heart as well as my hand before buying a gift for anyone!"
-Modern Screen magazine, Dec. 1957