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| Types Animals Baby Toys Bags & Backpacks Collectibles Favorite Characters Jumbo-Sized Plush Puppets Teaching Toys Teddy Bears Walking, Talking & More Other Stuffed Animals & Toys |
Brands Animal Alley Barney & Friends Beanie Babies & Buddies Blue's Clues Clifford the Big Red Dog Disney Favorites Dragon Tales Elmo & Sesame Street Furby Gund More Favorite Characters North American Bear Company Pooh & Friends Russ Berrie Scooby-Doo |
Stuffed animals and soft toys are quite unlike any other gift about - they are likely to spend their life in your recipients bedroom, most likely on a shelf or on the floor. However you can be sure the stuffed animal will be always appreciated when your recipient wants some comfort or just a plain old hug from a cuddly stuffed animal. Additionally these are a unusually robust gift. Even if the stuffed animals are handled on a regular basis, it will likely last many years (provided it isn't abused or handled roughly). Quality stuffed animals are manufactured from hard-wearing fabric, with strong seems to ensure their durabilty.
Care
Every
now and again your stuffed animal may need to be cleaned. This may be
the result of an over-zealous toddler spilling food on the soft toy, or
it could just be time for a regular cleaning. Even if the stuffed animal
spends all its time in say a bedroom and isn't mishandled, it will still
get dusty. Sometimes it pays to air stuffed toys out on a reasonably windy
day. (Ideally you should avoid putting stuffed animals out on a sunny
day - this can help speed the fabric fading process). If the stuffed animal
wears clothes, these can also be cleaned.
Depending on the size of the soft toy, it may be able to be placed in your washing machine. However before doing this, ensure that there are no protruding eyes or other parts which could get damaged during the cycle. You will have to ensure there is an extensive amount of drying time available, if the inner filling remains damp this can cause odour problems.
Sometimes soft toys are too large to fit into a washing machine, or their care label recommends they should not get wet. In this instance you will have to be content keeping them clean at the outset. Often a gentle vacuum cleaning will freshen them up.
Licensed or not
Licensed stuffed animals are soft toys which are a version of
(usually) a TV or cartoon character. For example Barney and Pooh Bear
soft toys fall into this category. Often these soft toys are popular depending
on the current craze. For example, now in the year 2002, a Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles soft toys would be considered very uncool and old. Sometimes
though, licensed soft toys don't date that much. The best example of this
is the Pink Panther stuffed animal.
This is one of the major reasons why purchasing a non-licensed soft toy is the way to go. If you want the stuffed animal to last many years and to outlive all the changes in fashion, the best option is to go with a toy which isn't part of any existing fashion trends.
Big is beautiful
Despite increased shipping costs and an inability for
them to fit into a washing machine, extra large or jumbo
sized stuffed animals are undoubtedly a very much
appreciated gift or buy. Very often large soft toys are
not significantly more expensive than smaller licensed
soft toys. The most common stuffed animals to be
manufactured in a large format are Teddy Bears and dogs.
As discussed below, this is due to these being the most
popular type of soft toys about. When selecting large or
jumbo sized plush stuffed animals, as always bear in mind
your intended recipient. For example a oversized Teddy
Bear may not be the most appropriate choice for a
toddler, as the Teddy Bear could fall over and trap the
child.
Which type?
There are a large number of stuffed animals on the
market. There are a range of different animals to choose
from, these include the more traditional Teddy Bear type
soft toy, through to dogs, cats, farmyard animals like
cows and pigs along with forest dwelling creatures such
as gorillas and exotic birds. If you are unsure of the
best soft toy for your recipient it is suggested to run
with the good old standbys of Teddy Bears or stuffed toy
dogs. These are by far the most common and popular soft
toys on the market, and are always appreciated.
Not too formal
There are a number of more formal dolls on the
market. The major differences between these and soft toys
are of course, that soft toys are soft. Dolls
manufactured from harder substances are designed as a
more formal toy to be seen, but not played with. These
types of dolls unfortuntely can't take the scrapes and
treatment that soft toys can handle, and are more prone
to breakages.
Getting what you
pay for
As with many products nowadays, stuffed animals can now
be purchased for very keen prices, often seemingly a
little too inexpensive. You should always be entirely
sure of the quality of the product you are purchasing.
All to often on these cheaper soft toys, quality has been
sacrificed in the pursuit of the keenest price. The best
way to tell whether the stuffed animal you are
considering buying is of inferior quality is to view the
area around its eyes. Because of the way soft toys are
sewn together, the face area is the most difficult area
to construct. So naturally this will be the area which
will display tell tale signs of a product not up to
scratch.
In particular you should look at the distance between the eyes and the side of the face. This should be consistent on both eyes. Additionally the eyes should be pointing in similar directions and be at the same height on the face. You should also make a similar check with the mouth area. When ordering stuffed animals through the internet, you should closely inspect the picture of the soft toy which is on display. You can also look carefully for any additional features the stuffed animal may have. These may include different coloured paws sewn on, or separate fingers and toes (as opposed to just having a mit for a hand or foot). These features point to the manufacturer taking the extra time to create a quality product.
We recommend the extensive range of Stuffed Animals from Stuffed Ark.