A
stuffed toy is a
toy sewn from a
textile, and stuffed with a soft material. They are also known as
plush toys,
plushies, or
stuffed animals (U.S. English), and
soft toys or
cuddly toys (British English).
Textiles commonly used include plain
cloth and
pile textiles like
plush or
terrycloth. Common stuffing materials are
synthetic fiber batting, cotton, straw,
wood wool, plastic pellets or beans. Stuffed toys are made in many different forms, often resembling animals,
legendary creatures,
cartoon characters or inanimate objects. They are often used as
comfort objects, for display or collecting and given as gifts, such as for graduation,
Valentine's Day or birthdays.
History and types
The first commercial concern to create stuffed toys was the German
Steiff company in 1880. Steiff used new technology developed for
upholstery to make their stuffed toys.
[1] In 1903
Richard Steiff designed a soft bear that differed from earlier traditional
rag dolls, because it was made of plush furlike fabric.
[1] At the same time in the USA,
Morris Michtom created the first
teddy bear, after being inspired by a drawing of
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt with a bear cub.
[2] The character
Peter Rabbit from English author
Beatrix Potter was the first stuffed toy to be patented, in 1903.
[3]
Sock monkeys are handmade stuffed monkeys made out of socks that first appeared during the
Great Depression.
[4] Amigurumi is a
Japanese type of handcrafted
knitted or
crocheted stuffed toys. Amigurumi are typically made to look
cute with oversized heads and undersized extremities. Beginning in 2003, they are collected and sold on crafting websites like
Etsy.
[5][6]
There are many brands of stuffed toys, including
Beanie Babies,
a line of stuffed beanbag animals, that was started in 1993. Several
marketing strategies were used to encourage collecting of Beanie Babies.
- source: Wikipedia.com
