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{{Short description|Fabric toy with a soft filling}}
{{Redirect|Stuffed animal|the practice of stuffing and mounting dead animals|taxidermy}}
{{Redirect|Cuddly Toy|the song|Cuddly Toy (song)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}

[[File:Nachbildung 55PB Steiff Museum Giengen.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Replica of an original 1903 ''[[Steiff]] [[teddy bear|Bär]] PB 55'' with moveable limbs, Steiff-Museum, [[Giengen]], Germany]]

A '''stuffed toy''' is a [[toy]] with an outer fabric [[sewn]] from a [[textile]] and stuffed with flexible material. They are known by many names, such as '''stuffed animals''', '''plush toys''', '''plushies''' and '''stuffies'''; in Britain and Australia, they may also be called '''soft toys''' or '''cuddly toys'''. Stuffed toys are made in many different forms, but most resemble real [[animals]] (sometimes with exaggerated proportions or features), [[mythological creature]]s, [[cartoon]] characters, or inanimate objects. They can be commercially or home-produced from numerous materials, most commonly [[Pile (textile)|pile textiles]] like [[plush]] for the outer material and synthetic fiber for the stuffing. Often designed for children, some stuffed toys have become [[fad]]s and [[Collecting|collector's]] items.

In the late 19th century, [[Margarete Steiff]] and the [[Steiff]] company of Germany created the first stuffed animals. In 1902 a political cartoon of [[Theodore Roosevelt]] inspired the idea for "[[Teddy bear|Teddy's bear]]". In 1903, [[Peter Rabbit]] was the first fictional character to be made into a patented stuffed toy. In 1921, [[A. A. Milne]] gave a stuffed bear to his son [[Christopher Robin Milne|Christopher]] which would inspire the creation of [[Winnie-the-Pooh]]. In the 1970s, London-based [[Hamleys]] toy store bought the rights to [[Paddington Bear]] stuffed toys. In the 1990s, [[Ty Warner]] created [[Beanie Babies]], a series of animals stuffed with plastic pellets that were popular as collector's items. Beginning in the 1990s electronic plush toys like [[Tickle Me Elmo]] and [[Furby]] became fads. Since 2005 beginning with [[Webkinz]], [[toys-to-life]] stuffed toys have been sold where the toy is used to access digital content in video games and [[Virtual world|online worlds]]. In the 2020s, plush toys like [[Squishmallows]], [[Jellycat]] and [[Labubu]] became fads after going viral on social media.

== Description ==
[[File:Big_is_beautiful.jpg|thumb|Stuffed toy rabbit in Burkina Faso|301x301px]]
Stuffed toys are distinguishable from other toys mainly by their softness, flexibility, and resemblance to animals or fictional characters. Stuffed toys most commonly take the form of animals, especially bears (in the case of teddy bears), mammalian [[pet]]s such as [[cat]]s and [[dog]]s, and highly recognizable animals such as [[zebra]]s, [[tiger]]s, [[Giant panda|pandas]], [[lizard]]s, and [[elephant]]s. Many fictional animal-like characters from movies, TV shows, books, or other [[entertainment]] forms often appear in stuffed toy versions, as do both real and fictional humans if the individual or character is famous enough. These toys are filled with soft plush material.<ref>{{cite report |title=Explanatory Notes to the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union|url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX%3A52022XC0120%2802%29 |access-date=31 July 2024 |work=Official Journal of the European Union|quote=Stuffed toys of this subheading usually have an outer fabric of a soft material and are usually filled with flexible/soft material that makes the toy pleasant to hold.}}</ref>

Stuffed toys come in an array of different sizes, with the smallest being thumb-sized and the largest being larger than a house.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Largest teddy bear|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-teddy-bear-(stitched)|access-date=14 October 2020|website=Guinness World Records|date=28 April 2019 |language=en-GB}}</ref> However, the largest somewhat commonly produced stuffed toys are not much bigger than a person.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tixymix Editorial Team |title=Sizing Up Stuffed Toys: From Pocket Companions to Giant Comfort Objects |website=Tixymix.com |url=https://tixymix.com/sizing-up-stuffed-toys-from-pocket-companions-to-giant-comfort-objects/ |date=May 2025 |access-date=2025-05-25}}</ref>
Most stuffed toys are designed to be an appropriate size for easy [[cuddle|cuddling]]. They also come in a wide variety of colors, cloth surfaces, fur textures, and humanizing embellishments.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.forbes.com/sites/traversmark/2024/01/21/3-reasons-we-hold-on-to-our-childhood-toys-as-adults/ | title = 3 Reasons We Hold On To Our Childhood Toys As Adults | last = Travers | first = Mark | publisher = Forbes Media LLC | date = 21 January 2024 | website = [[Forbes]] | access-date = 10 September 2025}}</ref>

Stuffed toys are commonly sold in stores worldwide. Vendors are often abundant at tourist attractions, airports, carnivals, fairs, downtown parks, and general public meeting places of almost any nature, especially if there are children present.<ref>{{cite news | last = Moodie| first = Martin | title = Toy story: FAO Schwarz makes world airport debut with DFS at New York JFK T4 | work = The Moodie Davitt Report | date = 2 November 2017 | url = https://moodiedavittreport.com/toy-story-fao-schwarz-makes-world-airport-debut-with-dfs-at-new-york-jfk-t4/ | access-date = 10 September 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Shopping for Gifts on the Fly | url = https://abcnews.go.com/Travel/BusinessTraveler/airport-shopping-business-traveler/story?id=9136412 | website = ABC News | date = 20 November 2009 | access-date = 10 September 2025  | quote = The 300 retail shops that line the international airport have everything from stilettos to stuffed toys.}}</ref>

==Production==
[[File:Comercio de peluches en Lima, Perú, 2015-07-28, DD 47.JPG|thumbnail|A teddies shop in [[Lima, Peru]]|408x408px]]
Stuffed toys are made from a range of materials. The earliest were created from felt, [[velvet]], or [[mohair]] and stuffed with straw, [[horsehair]], or [[sawdust]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Jaffé|first=Deborah|title=The History of Toys: From Spinning Tops to Robots|publisher=Sutton Publishing|year=2006|isbn=0-7509-3850-1|pages=155}}</ref> Following World War II, manufacturers began to adopt more synthetic materials into production,<ref name=":0" /> and in 1954, the first teddy bear made from easily washable materials was produced.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Laliberte|first=Marissa|date=2019|title=11 Adorable Facts You Never Knew About Teddy Bears|url=https://www.rd.com/list/teddy-bear-facts/|access-date=5 October 2020|website=Reader's Digest|language=en-US|archive-date=22 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522200536/https://www.rd.com/list/teddy-bear-facts/|url-status=live}}</ref> Modern stuffed toys are commonly constructed of outer fabrics such as plain cloth, [[Pile (textile)|pile textiles]] like [[plush]] or [[terrycloth]], or sometimes socks. Common stuffing materials include [[synthetic fiber]], [[Batting (material)|batting]], [[cotton]], [[straw]], [[wood wool]], [[plastic pellet]]s, and [[bean]]s. Some modern toys incorporate electronics to move and interact with the user.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Byrne|first=Christopher|title=A Profile of the United States Toy Industry : Serious Fun|publisher=Business Expert Press|year=2013|pages=14, 62–63}}</ref>

Manufacturers sell two main types of stuffed toys: licensed, which are toys of characters or other licensed properties, or basic, which take the shape of ordinary animals or other non-licensed subjects.<ref name=":1" />

Stuffed toys can also be homemade from numerous types of fabric or [[yarn]]. For instance, [[amigurumi]] is a traditional Japanese type of [[knit]]ted or [[crochet]]ed stuffed toy typically made with an oversized head and undersized extremities to look ''[[kawaii]]'' ('cute').<ref name=" Temple">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/hookedforlifeadv0000temp|url-access=registration|quote=Amigurumi.|title=Hooked for Life: Adventures of a Crochet Zealot|pages=[https://archive.org/details/hookedforlifeadv0000temp/page/40 40]–41|author=Mary Beth Temple|publisher=Andrews McMeel|year=2009|access-date=20 March 2010|isbn=978-0-7407-7812-4}}</ref><ref name="Belton">{{cite book |author=Mary Belton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F-DcK0QY3ZwC&pg=PA41 |title=Craft, Volume 1: Transforming Traditional Crafts |publisher=O'Reilly Media |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-596-52928-4 |pages=41–42 |access-date=20 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228065306/https://books.google.com/books?id=F-DcK0QY3ZwC&pg=PA42&dq=Amigurumi&cd=12#v=onepage&q=Amigurumi |archive-date=28 December 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Cultural impact, marketing, and collectors ==

Stuffed toys are among the most popular toys, especially for children. Their uses include imaginative play, [[comfort object]]s, display or collecting, and gifts to both children and adults for occasions such as graduation, illness, condolences, [[Valentine's Day]], [[Christmas]], or birthdays. In 2018, the global market for stuffed toys was estimated to be {{USD |7.98 billion}}, with the growth in target consumers expected to drive sales upwards.<ref>{{cite web | title=Stuffed Animal & Plush Toys Market Size, Share – Industry Report, 2025 | website=Grand View Research, Inc. | url=https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/stuffed-animal-plush-toys-market | access-date=11 October 2020 | archive-date=25 September 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230925143854/https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/stuffed-animal-plush-toys-market | url-status=live }}</ref> Many stuffed toys have become [[fad]]s that have boosted the industry overall.<ref name=":1" />

Children, as well as adults, can use stuffed toys as [[comfort object]]s forming connections with them, often sleeping or cuddling with them for comfort. They can be sentimental objects that reduce [[Separation anxiety disorder|anxiety around separation]], [[self-esteem]], and [[Nyctophobia|fear of the night]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kale |first=Sirin |date=5 January 2020 |title='My bears are my lifeline': the adults who sleep with soft toys |url=http://www.theguardian.com/global/2020/jan/05/bears-lifeline-adults-who-sleep-with-soft-toys |access-date=2 February 2021 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}</ref> In 2019 about a third of British adults reported sleeping with soft toys, and almost half had kept their childhood toys.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reid |first=Rebecca |date=20 May 2019 |title=1 in 3 British adults still sleeps with a soft toy |url=https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/20/1-3-british-adults-still-sleeps-soft-toy-9607056/ |access-date=2 February 2021 |website=Metro |language=en}}</ref>

==History==

In 1878, [[The Delineator]], an American magazine that offered sewing patterns, offered a "Pattern for an elephant and blanket" that was intended to be a child's toy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/delineator12olou/page/293/mode/1up | title=Pattern for an Elephant and Blanket | series=The Delineator | last1=O'Loughlin | first1=Robert S. | date=December 1878 | publisher=[[Butterick Publishing Company]] | page=293 | via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

Two years later, the first known commercially available stuffed [[felt]] elephant originally sold as a [[pincushion]], was made by [[Margarete Steiff]], founder of the German [[Steiff]] company in 1880, using the Delinator pattern.<ref name=":0">Soft toys. (2003). In J. Miller (Ed.), ''Miller's antiques encyclopedia'' (2nd ed.). Mitchell Beazley.</ref> Steiff used newly developed technology for manufacturing [[upholstery]] to make its stuffed toys.<ref name="kidstuff">{{cite book |title=Kids' Stuff: Toys and the Changing World of American Childhood |author=Gary S. Cross |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=1999 |pages=93–94 |isbn=9780674030077 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IIh7TSazQLoC&pg=PA94 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104175732/https://books.google.com/books?id=IIh7TSazQLoC&pg=PA94 |archive-date=4 January 2016}}</ref> In 1892, the [[Ithaca Kitty]] became one of the first mass-produced stuffed animal toys in the United States, which was sold as "The Tabby Cat" printed pattern on [[muslin]] by [[Arnold Print Works]].<ref>{{cite news | last = Sachse | first = Gretchen | title = Ithaca Kitty was a success across America | newspaper = [[The Ithaca Journal]] | location = [[Ithaca, New York]] | date = 28 July 2016 | url = http://www.ithacajournal.com/story/news/local/2016/07/28/ithaca-kitty-success-across-america/87666422/ | access-date = 2 August 2016 | archive-date = 22 March 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190322023513/https://www.ithacajournal.com/story/news/local/2016/07/28/ithaca-kitty-success-across-america/87666422/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

[[File:Best sock monkeys.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Homemade [[sock monkey]]s have been part of U.S. and Canadian culture since the [[Great Depression]].]]
The toy industry significantly expanded in the early 20th century. In 1903, [[Richard Steiff]], nephew of Margarete, designed a soft stuffed bear that differed from earlier traditional [[rag doll]]s because it was made of plush furlike fabric.<ref name="kidstuff" /> As an art student in Stuttgart he visited the zoo and sketched the bears, which became the inspiration for his first life-like toy bear, known as "55 PB".<ref>{{Cite news |work=[[BBC]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14231337 |last=Cronin |first=Frances |title=The great teddy bear shipwreck mystery |date=26 July 2011 |access-date=12 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417000012/https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14231337 |url-status=live |archive-date=17 April 2014 }}</ref> At the same time, in the US, [[Morris Michtom]] created the first teddy bear after being inspired by a drawing of President [[Theodore Roosevelt|"Teddy" Roosevelt]] with a bear cub.<ref name="LoC">{{cite web|url=http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/roosevelt/aa_roosevelt_bears_1.html| title=Teddy Bears| publisher=Library Of Congress| access-date=10 December 2007| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091205035022/http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/roosevelt/aa_roosevelt_bears_1.html| archive-date=5 December 2009}}</ref> In 1903, the character [[Peter Rabbit]] from English author [[Beatrix Potter]] was the first fictional character to be made into a patented stuffed toy.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lanzendorfer |first=Joy |date=31 January 2017 |title=How Beatrix Potter Invented Character Merchandising |work=Smithsonian |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-beatrix-potter-invented-character-merchandising-180961979/ |access-date=6 October 2022 |archive-date=6 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006132101/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-beatrix-potter-invented-character-merchandising-180961979/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peterrabbit.com/potters-world-life.asp|title=The life of Beatrix Potter – Peter Rabbit|work=peterrabbit.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117072323/http://www.peterrabbit.com/potters-world-life.asp|archive-date=17 January 2012}}</ref> The following year they went on sale and were mass produced by Steiff.<ref>{{cite news |title=Steiff Peter Rabbit 1904 Replica |url=https://www.steiffteddybears.co.uk/steiff-limited-edition-teddy-bears-range/steiff-peter-rabbit-1904-replica--402142.htm |access-date=12 February 2024 |website=Steiffteddybears.co.uk |archive-date=19 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219020833/https://www.steiffteddybears.co.uk/steiff-limited-edition-teddy-bears-range/steiff-peter-rabbit-1904-replica--402142.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> The popularity of stuffed toys grew, with numerous manufacturers forming in Germany, the United Kingdom,<ref name=":0" /> and the United States.<ref name="kidstuff" /> Many people also handmade their own stuffed toys. For instance, [[sock monkey]]s originated when parents turned old socks into toys during the [[Great Depression]].<ref name="Boschma">{{cite news|url=http://media.www.spectatornews.com/media/storage/paper218/news/2007/11/05/Showcase/History.Of.The.Sock.Monkey-3076934.shtml|title=History of the sock monkey: Stuffed animal created during the Great Depression|last=Boschma|first=Janie|date=5 November 2007|work=The Spectator|access-date=1 July 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091218185740/http://media.www.spectatornews.com/media/storage/paper218/news/2007/11/05/Showcase/History.Of.The.Sock.Monkey-3076934.shtml|archive-date=18 December 2009}}</ref>

In 1921, [[A. A. Milne]] bought a stuffed toy from [[Harrods]] department store in London for his son [[Christopher Robin Milne|Christopher Robin]], a toy which would later inspire the author's creation of [[Winnie-the-Pooh]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Winnie-the-Pooh goes to Harrods in new authorised AA Milne prequel |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jul/23/winnie-the-pooh-goes-to-harrods-in-new-authorised-aa-milne-prequel |access-date=23 April 2023 |work=The Guardian |quote=The story of how Winnie-the-Pooh went from a Harrods toy shelf to the home of Christopher Robin and the Hundred Acre Wood is set to be told for the first time, in an official prequel to AA Milne's original stories. |archive-date=8 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208060022/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jul/23/winnie-the-pooh-goes-to-harrods-in-new-authorised-aa-milne-prequel |url-status=live }}</ref> Stuffed toys of [[Paddington Bear]], a character created by [[Michael Bond]], were first produced by the family of [[Jeremy Clarkson]] in 1972, with the family eventually selling the rights to London-based [[Hamleys]] toy store.<ref>{{cite episode |series=Inside Hamleys at Christmas |network=[[Channel 5 (UK)]] |url=https://www.thetvdb.com/series/channel-5-uk-documentaries/episodes/6942807 |title=Inside Hamleys at Christmas |date=December 2018 |access-date=17 September 2022 |archive-date=28 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228000151/https://thetvdb.com/series/channel-5-uk-documentaries/episodes/6942807 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Mom's Beanies (9120344523).jpg|thumb|Some Beanie Babies on display by a collector]]
In the 1990s, [[Ty Warner]] created [[Beanie Babies]], a series of animals stuffed with plastic pellets. The toys became a fad through marketing strategies that increased demand and encouraged collection.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Wickman|first1=Kase|date=30 August 2017|title=The Life and Death of the Princess Diana Beanie Baby Market|language=en|magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]|publisher=[[Condé Nast]]|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/08/princess-diana-beanie-babies-20th-anniversary|access-date=5 June 2019|archive-date=4 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230504012247/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/08/princess-diana-beanie-babies-20th-anniversary|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Getlen|first=Larry|date=22 February 2015|title=How the Beanie Baby craze was concocted — then crashed|url=https://nypost.com/2015/02/22/how-the-beanie-baby-craze-was-concocted-then-crashed/|access-date=7 October 2020|website=New York Post|language=en-US|archive-date=8 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108124910/http://nypost.com/2015/02/22/how-the-beanie-baby-craze-was-concocted-then-crashed/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Beginning in the 1990s, stuffed toys with electronics have become fads. [[Tickle Me Elmo]], a laughing and shaking plush toy based on the character [[Elmo]] from the ''[[Sesame Street]]'' television show, was released in 1996 and was soon in demand, with some people buying and reselling the toy for hundreds of dollars.<ref name="People">[http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20143226,00.html "Just Tickled"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140602092827/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20143226,00.html |date=2 June 2014 }}.  ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'', 13 January 1997.</ref> This was followed by similar fads, including the [[robotic]] talking plush toy [[Furby]] released in 1998<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9810/05/furby/index.html |date=5 October 1998 |publisher=[[CNN]] |title=New toy an interactive fur ball |access-date=13 July 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070616120237/http://www.cnn.com/US/9810/05/furby/index.html |archive-date=16 June 2007 }}</ref> and [[Zhu Zhu Pets|ZhuZhu Pets]], a line of robotic plush hamsters released in 2009.<ref name="abc">{{cite news |last1=Mabrey |first1=Vicki |last2=Janik |first2=Kinga |date=20 November 2009 |title=Zhu Zhu Pets: Hamsters to Save Christmas? |publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |url=http://www.abcnews.go.com/Nightline/HolidayShopping/zhu-zhu-pets-holiday-seasons-toy/story?id=9137390 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091122122234/http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/HolidayShopping/zhu-zhu-pets-holiday-seasons-toy/story?id=9137390 |archive-date=22 November 2009}}</ref><ref name="ap2009">{{cite news|last=Anderson|first=Mae|date=27 November 2009|title=Robotic hamsters are holidays' unlikely new craze|work=Denver Post|url=http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13875660|url-status=live|access-date=18 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629133510/http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13875660|archive-date=29 June 2011}}</ref>

More recent lines of stuffed animals have been created around unique concepts, like [[Uglydoll]], introduced in 2001, with a number of recognizable characters and overarching style.<ref>{{cite web |title=Toy Industry Association 2006 Award Winning Products and Nominees. List of awards. |url=http://www.toyassociation.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Past_TOTY_Winners&TEMPLATE=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=10594 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624041923/http://www.toyassociation.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Past_TOTY_Winners&TEMPLATE=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=10594 |archive-date=24 June 2012 |access-date=22 March 2019 |website=toyassociation.org}}</ref> [[Pillow Pets]], which can be folded from a pillow into a stuffed animal, were another successful brand, launching in 2003 and selling more than 30 million toys between 2010 and 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Glazer|first=Joyce A.|date=31 January 2017|title=Celebrating Women: Jennifer Telfer|url=https://www.sandiegomagazine.com/people/celebrating-women-jennifer-telfer/article_1ad79902-dc29-5f14-ac05-9ffe9456c117.html|access-date=7 October 2020|work=[[San Diego Magazine]]|language=en|archive-date=22 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522200354/https://www.sandiegomagazine.com/people/celebrating-women-jennifer-telfer/article_1ad79902-dc29-5f14-ac05-9ffe9456c117.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Beginning in 2005 with [[Webkinz]] from [[Ganz (toy company)|Ganz]], [[toys-to-life]] stuffed toys that unlock online content appeared on the market. Webkins each came with a different "Secret Code" that gave access to the Webkinz World website and a [[digital pet|virtual version]] of the toy for online play.<ref name="Pardo">{{cite web|last=Pardo|first=Steve|url=http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070411/BIZ04/704110410|publisher=[[The Detroit News]]|access-date=23 April 2007|date=11 April 2007|title=Kids hooked on Webkinz world}}{{Dead link|date=April 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="Barakat">{{cite web |last=Barakat |first=Matthew |date=13 July 2007 |title=Review: Webkinz pleases parents and children |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/19732158 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714224023/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/19732158/ |archive-date=14 July 2014 |access-date=20 August 2007 |publisher=[[NBC News]]}}</ref> They were followed by other stuffed toys with codes to unlock digital content in [[Virtual world|online worlds]], such as Disney's ''[[Club Penguin]]'' and Build-A-Bearville from [[Build-A-Bear Workshop]].

Modern plushies from [[Japan]] are known for ''[[kawaii]]'' styles, generally thought of as (at least globally) starting with [[Sanrio]]'s [[Hello Kitty]], with characters from media franchises like [[Pikachu]] and [[Eevee]] from ''[[Pokémon]]'', and characters from [[stationery]] company [[San-X]] including [[Rilakkuma]] and the {{lang|ja-latn|[[Sumikko Gurashi]]|italic=no}} characters.<ref>{{Cite web|title=San-X net|url=http://www.san-x.jp/characters/rilakkuma.html|access-date=31 December 2021|website=www.san-x.jp|archive-date=31 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231080320/http://www.san-x.jp/characters/rilakkuma.html|url-status=live}}</ref> There is also a trend of Japanese plushies being shaped like [[mochi]]. In 2013, [[Disney]] launched its first collection of [[Disney Tsum Tsum]] stuffed toys based on characters from different Disney properties. Inspired by the app of the same name, Tsum Tsums were first released in Japan (an example of [[mochi]] shaped plushies) before expanding to the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Walujono|first=Amanda|date=26 February 2015|title=How Disney's Tsum Tsum Craze is Taking America By Storm|url=https://charactermedia.com/how-disneys-tsum-tsum-craze-is-taking-america-by-storm/|access-date=7 October 2020|website=Character Media|language=en-US|archive-date=23 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523174321/https://charactermedia.com/how-disneys-tsum-tsum-craze-is-taking-america-by-storm/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Squishmallows]] became a fad after going viral on social media, in particular [[TikTok]], during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] in 2020–21.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lorenz |first=Taylor |date=16 March 2021 |title=Squishmallows Are Taking Over |language=en-US |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/style/squishmallows.html |url-access=limited |access-date=30 December 2021 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=16 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230816063703/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/style/squishmallows.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In the mid 2020s, stuffed toy keychains that could be used as fashion accessories, like [[Labubu]] and [[Jellycat]], became fads after being worn by celebrities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Corsillo |first=Liza |date=2025-06-12 |title=The Confused Aunt's Guide to Labubu |url=https://nymag.com/strategist/article/labubu-explainer-2025.html |access-date=2025-06-18 |website=[[The Strategist]] |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of stuffed toy manufacturers]]
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==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Wiktionary|soft toy|stuffed toy}}
{{commons cat}}
{{Teddy bears}}
{{toys}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1880 introductions]]
[[Category:1880s toys]]
[[Category:Stuffed toys| ]]
[[Category:Dolls]]