Daughter breaks open piggy bank dad gifted for her graduation, finds orange note with emotional message
A woman finds something far more precious than money inside a piggy bank her father had been filling for years—an emotional discovery that moves netizens.
Parents are often the guiding lights in their children’s lives, providing daily encouragement and setting powerful examples. To celebrate his daughter’s graduation, one father gave her a particularly meaningful gift—a simple piggy bank. Mala Wade, who goes by @theblondetongan_ on TikTok, shared how her dad, Masa Tukuafu, surprised her with this touching gesture, revealing his lifelong savings inside.
In the video, Masa performed the special act of gifting his daughter the piggy bank he had for years. The college student’s caring dad had been saving money for her better future. “I graduated college at the end of this year, so my dad surprised me with this piggy bank. I guess he's been collecting for the past while,” the text overlay on the video read, as Masa was seen putting the last installment into it.
The pink-colored piggy bank was apparently full, as Masa had to push the bills in harder with his hands. The video further showed the proud dad handing over his years of savings to Mala, who later digs out the money. The incident was apparently captured on camera the night before the student boarded a flight to college. “The night before my flight, I began emptying it so that I could take the piggy bank with me on the airplane,” the text overlay added. While emptying the piggy bank, Mala found a wad of orange note paper intertwined with the bills, which led to her curiosity about what was written inside.
Without wasting any time, she tore apart the cover and started reading the four-to-five-page letter. However, in the 26-second clip, Mala only showed the last page. “On the last page, it said, ‘For the days I was not there to take you for ice cream, I saved it for this day. Love, Dad,’” it said. She even flashed an excerpt from the lengthy yet adorable note. “I will treasure this piggy bank until the day I die,” the caption of the reel with around 1.2 million views read.
"I would have shared the whole note he left inside, but it felt too special, so I opted to include just the last page in the video. I'm so happy to see that my post resonated with so many people," Mala said to Newsweek. She informed the outlet that she didn’t get the chance to count the money saved by her father due to a hectic schedule. "I don't know how much money was inside," she said. The effort and love shown by her dad mattered to Mala more than anything. "My dad has always been my hero, so receiving this piggy bank meant so much more to me than just what was inside," she told the outlet. Also, she added that her father had humble beginnings. More so, Masa had worked laborious jobs in the past, and the piggy bank felt symbolic of that. People are so touched by the dad's heartwarming gesture.
@meganmaca1426 wrote, “This made me think that everyone is special to somebody. So treat everyone you meet with respect. Don’t go into someone’s life and ruin it.” @charladini.mcdabeani hailed, “That's honestly probably the sweetest gift I think I've ever seen in my life. What a fantastic idea.” “Some days, I don’t have enough to get my son the things he wants, but I wish I could give him the world,” @just.a.girl.from.ulithi shared.
You can follow Mala Wade (@theblondetongan_) on TikTok for lifestyle content.
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