diff --git a/src/dobject.h b/src/dobject.h
index 6b9b87c75..dd03f669a 100644
--- a/src/dobject.h
+++ b/src/dobject.h
@@ -208,6 +208,7 @@ enum EObjectFlags
 	OF_SerialSuccess	= 1 << 9,		// For debugging Serialize() calls
 	OF_Sentinel			= 1 << 10,		// Object is serving as the sentinel in a ring list
 	OF_Transient		= 1 << 11,		// Object should not be archived (references to it will be nulled on disk)
+	OF_Spawned			= 1 << 12,      // Thinker was spawned at all (some thinkers get deleted before spawning)
 };
 
 template<class T> class TObjPtr;
diff --git a/src/dthinker.cpp b/src/dthinker.cpp
index 7b63d2635..da68d8388 100644
--- a/src/dthinker.cpp
+++ b/src/dthinker.cpp
@@ -309,6 +309,7 @@ DEFINE_ACTION_FUNCTION(DThinker, PostBeginPlay)
 
 void DThinker::CallPostBeginPlay()
 {
+	ObjectFlags |= OF_Spawned;
 	IFVIRTUAL(DThinker, PostBeginPlay)
 	{
 		// Without the type cast this picks the 'void *' assignment...
diff --git a/src/events.cpp b/src/events.cpp
index 3fb90dcbb..682b6da54 100755
--- a/src/events.cpp
+++ b/src/events.cpp
@@ -273,6 +273,10 @@ void E_WorldThingDestroyed(AActor* actor)
 	// don't call anything if actor was destroyed on PostBeginPlay/BeginPlay/whatever.
 	if (actor->ObjectFlags & OF_EuthanizeMe)
 		return;
+	// don't call anything for non-spawned things (i.e. those that were created, but immediately destroyed)
+	// this is because Destroyed should be reverse of Spawned. we don't want to catch random inventory give failures.
+	if (!(actor->ObjectFlags & OF_Spawned))
+		return;
 	for (DStaticEventHandler* handler = E_FirstEventHandler; handler; handler = handler->next)
 		handler->WorldThingDestroyed(actor);
 }