Cuddle up with your stuffed toy.
- Stuffed toys are toys that are made of fabric and are stuffed with a type of stuffing material.
- ‘Stuffed toys’ are also known as ‘stuffed animals’, ‘plushies’, ‘plush toys’, ‘soft toys’, ‘softies’ and ‘cuddle toys’.
- Over the years, stuffed toys have been stuffed with fibre, wool, plastic pellets, beans, cotton, batting and straw.
- Stuffed toys are often made into the shape of an animal or other objects.
- Stuffed toys are commonly used for comfort, or given on special occasions, sometimes to express one’s feelings of love.
- In 1880, Steiff, a German company started by Margarete Steiff, was the first commercial company to produce stuffed toys.
- The first patented stuffed toy was a rabbit from Beatrix Potter’s stories, Peter Rabbit.
- Stuffed toys have their origins in stuffed dead animals and home made rag dolls from the 1830s, and once teddy bears were created in 1902, they became increasingly popular.
- Some antique stuffed toys, notably, late 1800 and early 1900 Steiff toys, have been sold for hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
- Electronics and mechanics are sometimes placed inside stuffed toys to allow sound and movement.
Bibliography:
Learn about the History of Plush Toys and Stuffed Animals, Purr-fect gifts, http://www.purr-fectgifts.com/history/
Stuffed Toy, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuffed_toy
