Stuffed animal

Stuffed animal

A stuffed animal is toy animal sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw, beans, plastic pellets, cotton, synthetic fibers, or other similar materials. Stuffed animals are also known as plush toys (U.S English) from the plush outer material used, and soft toys or cuddly toys (British English). They are made in many different forms, some resembling real animals, some in a caricature with emphasis on different features, some in the form of Legendary creatures or Cartoon characters.

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

Stuffed animals in the past were used for random stuffing of the evacuated skins of hunted animals. The phrase is still sometimes used to refer to examples of taxidermy. However, with modern technology it is now possible to produce them with synthetic materials. For this reason, "plush toy" or "plushie" (U.S. English) or soft toy (British English) may be more appropriate names 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 in home or a work place. 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 (toy company), and Build-A-Bear Workshop.

ee also

*Teddy bear, a common type of children's stuffed toy
*Tickle Me Elmo
*Beanie Baby
*Webkinz
*Pawparazzi

Image gallery


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • stuffed animal — noun count AMERICAN 1. ) a soft toy in the shape of an animal 2. ) a dead animal that has been stuffed …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • stuffed animal — stuffed toy n AmE a toy animal covered and filled with soft material British Equivalent: soft toy …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • stuffed animal — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms stuffed animal : singular stuffed animal plural stuffed animals American 1) a dead animal that has been stuffed 2) a soft toy in the shape of an animal …   English dictionary

  • stuffed animal — stuffed animals N COUNT Stuffed animals are toys that are made of cloth filled with a soft material and which look like animals. [AM] Syn: stuffed toy (in BRIT, use soft toy) …   English dictionary

  • stuffed animal — noun A toy animal stuffed with straw, beans, cotton or other similar materials. Syn: plush toy, soft toy, cuddly toy …   Wiktionary

  • stuffed animal — furry toy animal, animal skin that has been filled with stuffing …   English contemporary dictionary

  • stuffed animal — noun (C) AmE a toy animal covered and filled with soft material; soft toy BrE …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • stuffed animal — …   Useful english dictionary

  • Stuffed toy — Stuffed animal redirects here. For practise of stuffing and mounting dead animals, see Taxidermy. Cuddly Toy redirects here. For the song, see Cuddly Toy (song). Different types of stuffed toys A stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or… …   Wikipedia

  • stuffed toy — stuffed toys N COUNT A stuffed toy is the same as a stuffed animal. [AM] (in BRIT, use soft toy) …   English dictionary

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