‘That’s my boy’: Creator of UAE astronaut plushie Suhail shares pride in seeing him float in space

When Sultan AlNeyadi introduced the "fifth member" of Crew-6 on March 2, soon after blast-off, the world saw a brand-new iteration of the astronaut stuffed toy 'Suhail'. This time the blue and white plushie had donned the official Crew-6 uniform.

"Allow me to introduce you to the fifth crew member. His name is Suhail, and it is the Arabic name for the star Canopus," Dr Al Neyadi said after lift-off.

At this point, down on earth inside the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC), one young Emirati man’s chest swelled with pride, and he turned to his colleagues to say, “That is my boy.”

Saeed Al Emadi, the designer of the plushie 'Suhail', said it was a moment of great pride to watch his toy float in space as an indicator of zero gravity.

“I feel I am proud and happy,” he said in an interview with Khaleej Times. “Sultan had told me that Crew 6 approved the design and that they would reveal it during the flight. When I saw it during the launch, I told my colleagues, that is my boy, that is my kid.”

Tradition

It has been a tradition since 1961 when Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, took a dog plushie with him on the flight to have a toy on board a space flight. Since then, astronauts have taken various plushies including that of a baby dragon, Toy Story plushie Buzz Lightyear, Frozen toy Olaf, a baby Yoda and even a raccoon.

“It is a ritual,” said Saeed. Moreover, it is also an indicator to the strapped in astronauts when deceleration has stopped, and the zero gravity or weightlessness has begun.

This is not the first time Suhail has gone into space. When Hazza Al Mansouri became the first Emirati to travel to space, the plushie went with him on his rocket. At the time it wore a different uniform. The plushie that Hazza took with him is thought to be still with the astronaut, with Saeed, indicating that it could be soon exhibited in a museum or so.

Iterations

The idea of a plushie began as soon as Hazza’s flight was confirmed. “In 2019, when Hazza Al Mansouri had his first flight, we had the idea to have a mascot,” said Saeed.

“I wanted it to have an astronaut look but still a fictional character that came from another planet or star. I did some drawings and sketches and our team internally voted on the final look. I went through about five to six drafts before we chose the look. I think I really like the last upgrade with the Crew-6 uniforms.”

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