The first toy figure in space

This question was inspired by a recent Neatorama post on Toy Story trivia. (15 years :o ) There you can read the following about Buzz Lightyear:

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NASA likes him, too – on May 31, 2008, a Buzz accompanied the real-life astronauts of the space Shuttle Discovery on a mission. He docked with the International Space Station and became the first toy to walk on the moon.

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That is not only astonishingly wrong. It also piqued my curiosity.
What was the first toy figure in space? I am looking for something that depicts some kind being -- a doll, action figure, stuffed animal...
I know that at least on some missions there were various little nick-nacks on board that were intended as souvenirs.

To get things started, the East German Little Sandman and the Soviet doll Mashenka were on Salyut 6 in 1978.

I recall one of the original Astronauts carried a little toy (figurine) of the Mercury Capsule. So mid-60s with that.

On second thought, that memory is from the movie "The Right Stuff" and might not be reality.

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Originally posted by What Exit?

I recall one of the original Astronauts carried a little toy (figurine) of the Mercury Capsule. So mid-60s with that.

On second thought, that memory is from the movie "The Right Stuff" and might not be reality.

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Thanks for your answer. That seems extremely plausible and not like that something the makers of The Right Stuff would make up for no good reason. Unfortunately this whole topic seems utterly ungoogleable.

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He docked with the International Space Station and became the first toy to walk on the moon.

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The ISS has got a branch on the moon now? I must have missed that memo!