Stuffed toy
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A stuffed toy, stuffie, or plush toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw, beans, plastic pellets, cotton, synthetic fibers, or other similar materials. Stuffed toys are also known as plush toys (U.S. English) from plush, the outer material used, and soft toys or cuddly toys (British English). They are made in many different forms, often resembling animals, legendary creatures, cartoon characters or inanimate objects.
Some stuffed animals are very old – home made cloth dolls stuffed with straw go back to at least the 1830s, perhaps much older. The most well known type of stuffed toy is likely the teddy bear. They are often used as comfort objects.
History
The term 'stuffed animal' historically referred to stuffing of the evacuated skins of hunted animals. The phrase is still sometimes used to refer to such examples of taxidermy. However, with modern technology it is now possible to produce them with synthetic materials. For this reason, plush toys or plushies (U.S. English) or soft toys (British English) may be more appropriate terms for modern, synthetic stuffed animals.
The first commercial concern to create stuffed toys is apparently the Steiff company, founded in 1880 in Giengen an der Brenz, Germany.
Among the most popular types of classic stuffed animals are teddy bears and sock monkeys.
Today
Stuffed animals are bought for a variety of reasons. Some are bought for display. They can also be given as gifts, such as for graduation, Valentine's Day, birthdays, any kind of special day, or just as an expression of thought.
Current brands
Some popular commercial manufacturers include Ty, Disney, Steiff, Gund, Russ Berrie, Ganz, Build-A-Bear Workshop and Boyds Bears.
See also
- Teddy bear, a common type of children's stuffed toy