(10/17/06) BRIDGEPORT ? A Bridgeport family publicly pleaded Tuesday for a prankster to return a prized Halloween decoration stolen from the front of their home.

The Benevides family set up a large inflatable Mickey Mouse on the front yard of their Ashton Street home. The three young children became extremely attached to their prized possession, which is now missing. Kelly Benevides, their mother, says the children cry every half hour, mourning the famous Disney mainstay. She says they regularly run to the window to see if the mouse has returned.

The family says they have searched the neighborhood for hours, to no avail. The Benevides children ask for the safe return of their decoration.