TIFU by trying to be the cool aunt and traumatizing my niece instead

So I (28F) was babysitting my 5-year-old niece for the first time solo. My sister needed a date night, and I figured it’d be chill, pizza, cartoons, maybe a game. I brought over snacks, toys, and to be the “fun” aunt, I also brought my old puppet from childhood. This creepy little thing named “Mr. Waggles.” I thought she’d love it.

Wrong. So, so wrong.

We’re playing tea party. Mr. Waggles joins in. I put on a goofy voice. She laughs. It’s going great… until I say, “Mr. Waggles only drinks tea made with giggles… or he gets mad.”

She froze. Her face went pale. I immediately drop the act, but the damage is done. She runs into the bathroom and locks the door, screaming, “I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH GIGGLES, HE’S MAD AT ME.”

It took 20 minutes and FaceTiming her mom to calm her down. When my sister got home, she was… not thrilled.

TL;DR: Tried to be the fun aunt with a puppet, accidentally convinced my niece it was a demon. She’s now terrified of tea parties.