A stuffed toy, stuffie, or plush toy is a toy A toy is an object used in play. Toys are usually associated with children and pets, but it is not unusual for adult humans and some non-domesticated animals to play with toys. Many items are manufactured to serve as toys, but goods, or services produced for other purposes can also be used as toys. A child may pick up a household item and 'fly' it sewn from cloth A textile is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw wool fibres, linen, cotton, or other material on a spinning wheel to produce long strands. Textiles are formed by weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, or pressing fibres together, plush Plush is a textile having a cut nap or pile the same as fustian or velvet, or other textiles A textile is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw wool fibres, linen, cotton, or other material on a spinning wheel to produce long strands. Textiles are formed by weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, or pressing fibres together, and stuffed with straw Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after the grain or seed and chaff has been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. In times gone by, it was regarded as a useful by-product of the harvest, but with the advent of the combine harvester, straw has, beans Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae used for human food or animal feed, plastic pellets, cotton Cotton is a soft, staple fiber that grows in a form known as a boll around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, including the Americas, India and Africa. The fiber most often is spun into yarn or thread and used to make a soft, breathable textile, which is the most widely used natural-, synthetic fibers, or other similar materials. Stuffed toys are also known as plush toys (U.S. English) from plush Plush is a textile having a cut nap or pile the same as fustian or velvet, the outer material used, and soft toys or cuddly toys (British English). They are made in many different forms, often resembling animals, legendary creatures A legendary creature is a mythological or folkloric creature, 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 The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear.They are usually stuffed with soft cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal across the US, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. It is quite common in for American children to have one among their possessions. In recent times, some teddy bears have become. They are often used as comfort objects A comfort object is an item used to provide psychological comfort, especially in unusual or unique situations, or at bedtime for small children. Among toddlers, comfort objects may take the form of a blanket, a stuffed animal, or a favorite toy, and may be referred to by the terms blankey and lovey.

Contents

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 Taxidermy is the act of mounting or reproducing dead animals for display (e.g. as hunting trophies) or for other sources of study. Taxidermy can be done on all vertebrate species of animals including mammals, birds, nematodes, reptiles and amphibians. The methods that taxidermists practice have been improved over the last century, heightening. 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 Giengen is the capital of the district of the same name in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. It is situated in the district of Heidenheim, north-east of Ulm, at the southern foot of the Swabian Alb, Germany Germany (pronounced /ˈdʒɜrməni/ ), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south.

Among the most popular types of classic stuffed animals are teddy bears The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear.They are usually stuffed with soft cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal across the US, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. It is quite common in for American children to have one among their possessions. In recent times, some teddy bears have become 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 Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the English-speaking countries, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The holiday is named after two among the, birthdays, any kind of special day, or just as an expression of thought.

Current brands

Some popular commercial manufacturers include Ty Ty Inc. is an American plush animal company based in Westmont, Illinois. By far their most famous line of products are the Beanie Babies, but Ty also manufactures other lines of stuffed toys. The Ty logo is a red heart with the lower-case letters "ty." A tag in this shape is found affixed to all Ty stuffed toys, and inside each tag is, Disney The Walt Disney Company , also known simply as Disney, is the largest media and entertainment conglomerate in the world. Founded on October 16, 1923 by brothers Walt Disney and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, the company was reincorporated as Walt Disney Productions in 1929. Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader, Steiff, Gund Gund is a manufacturer of plush stuffed animals. It was founded by Adolph Gund in 1898 and is the oldest manufacturer of soft toys in the U.S. On July 1, 2008 Gund was sold to Enesco, a gift company known for among other things the Cherished Teddies line.[citation needed], Russ Berrie Russ Berrie and Company, Inc. NYSE: RUS is a major manufacturer of teddy bears and other gift products, including stuffed animals, baby gifts, soft baby toys and development toys, as well as, pictures, candles, figurines and home fragrance products, Ganz, Build-A-Bear Workshop Build-A-Bear Workshop is an American retailer that sells customizable teddy bears and other stuffed animals. It is the largest create-your-own animal service, with the other companies in the business consisting of regional and/or locally-owned operations. The company's motto is "Where Best Friends Are Made". The company is headquartered and Boyds Bears Boyds Bears was founded by Gary M. Lowenthal and his wife, Justina Unger. They were owners of an antique shop, which although profitable, found difficulty maintaining an inventory of well priced antiques. They then turned to making and selling antique reproductions. Some of their more profitable reproductions included duck decoys. In 1984 they.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Stuffed animals

Categories: Stuffed toys

 

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