Choco Llama is a Kohair animal with a very soft feel

Stuffed animals can make great soft toys for children.  An age appropriate stuffed animal can be a great friend for a child.

There are several things to consider when looking for a plush animal that is soft and cuddly.  The first is the material used for stuffing. While “bean bag” animals which are normally stuffed with such materials as plastic pellets can be appealing, these may not be as soft and squeezable as a toy that has polyester filling only, for example.  The other consideration is the outside of the animal. Is it made of fabric, plush faux fur or some other material?  The softest types stuffed toys that I have encountered are a kohair line by Douglas.  These stuffed toys are extremely soft and cuddly on the surface. In fact, it’s almost a habit to keep running your hand over them if you are holding one.

If you are interested in a long haired animal, another option is to get one with faux fur. Some of these toy animals are very soft also. The floppy ones will normally be softer than the posable ones, so keep that in mind when looking for one that is truly soft and cuddly.

The koala is one of the most recognizable animals of Australia

You can find Australian stuffed animals to represent the diverse population of wildlife that inhabits the Australian continent.  Australian animals include such animals as  the koala, the kangaroo, the dingo, the emu, the echidna, the wombat, the tasmanian devil, the crocodile and the platypus to name a few.

Australian stuffed animals can be used in a variety of ways:

Collectible Animals – Many people collect stuffed animals from a certain region of the world, and Australian animals would be a excellent place to start.

Education- A nice classroom idea would be to have a collection of Australian stuffed animals around the room. The children could then learn about each of the animals throughout the year, and they would gain a good understanding of which animals come from Australia. Throw in a few episodes of The Crocodile Hunter or Bindi the Jungle Girl for an additional Austrlian wildlife educational adventure!

Decoration – One decorating idea would be to design a room or a house with Australian decor.  You could include Australia stuffed animals, signs pointing to different locations in Australia, a map of Australia, a wall clock set to Australia time and pictures of the Australian outback that coordinate with the room colors. Use your imagination.

If you would like additional information about Australia’s animals, visit Australian Animal Learning Zone and Australia Zoo

Shep is one of the Aurora Stuffed Animals

Aurora stuffed animals are  widely available throughout the United States and the world.   They began back in 1987 under the name of Aurora Trading Inc and quickly began to spread throughout the world with their manufacturing and sales activities. In 1992, they had their first sales network in the United States, and they are now known as Aurora World Inc.

There is a wide variety of Aurora stuffed animals and Aurora puppets from the whimsical to the realistic stuffed animal.   In the Aurora product line, you can find dogs and cats as well as a very large assortment of wildlife plush items, and they even have a line of  teddy bears in assorted shapes and sizes. 

Aurora  made headlines in 2008 when it announced  the release of the world’s first “green” plush line called “Aurora Naturally.”  This is a plush line that is made of soybeans on the exterior and is stuffed with the a sustainable rainforest crop called kapok on the inside.

Aurora stuffed animal toys meet or exceed the requirements set by CPSIA (United States) and EN71 (EU) for safety standards and make safety a priority in the production of their stuffed toys.

With a choice of so many stuffed animals available through different manufacturers and stores, you can find one or more that will meet your interests and requirements. If you like dogs, dog stuffed animals can be found in almost every variety imaginable from a mutt or non-specific breed to a purebred dog plush animal. Cats are also abundantly available in many colors and breeds. You can even find some realistic looking stuffed animals depicting very small pets such as hamsters, guinea pigs or chinchillas. 

Breathing stuffed animals  offer an additional choice. The breathing animals have a battery inside to make their chests rise and fall to simulate a sleeping puppy or kitten.

People display their stuffed pets in different ways. Some have a pet bed in an area of a room of desk for their stuffed pet. Others have a cage that would simulate the conditions of the real animal. This is a definite conversation piece for visitors!

If a real pet is not an option at this time, a stuffed pet might be the best choice for now. Oh…and when you do get a REAL pet, make sure to explore adopting from an animal shelter or rescue group first. These groups do some good work and place some very fine pets into loving homes!

This Wild Republic hummingbird stuffed animal is an example of a unique bird stuffed animal

There are hundreds of Wild Republic stuffed animals on the market today.  The Wild Republic brand of stuffed animals encompasses a large variety of animals including pets, wildlife and a collection of  bird stuffed animals that is unique to the industry and offering bird types often difficult to find with any other manufacturer.

Wild Republic began in 1979 as a family owned business under the name of K & M International. International, because K & M grew into an internationally recognized brand as their stuffed animals became available not only in the United States but also in such countries as Canada, the UK, Italy, Denmark, Singapore and Australia.

The name of the company eventually changed to Wild Republic, which better represents their product lines of wild animals and their dedication to environmentally friendly products.  Some of the environmental steps that they have made include conversion of their production process to include reusable packaging, sustainable materials and phthalate free non-toxic materials.

Wild Republic stuffed animals and other products have received the endorsement of some prominent animal and environmentally oriented groups such as the Australia Zoo. In fact, Wild Republic currently offers a line of Australia Zoo themed items such as plastic figures of Bindi as well as stuffed animals representing some of her favorite animals.

More Wild Republic stuffed animals:

This Great Horned Owl is a stuffed animal by Wild Republic

Wild Republic African Lion Stuffed Animal

Election stuffed animals frequently make an appearance at political fund raisers and events. Since the United States symbol for the republicans is the elephant and the symbol for the democrats is the donkey, it is quite easy for stuffed animals to become involved in partisan politics!

Election themed stuffed animals are frequently decorated with the red, white and blue colors to reflect US patriotism. They sometimes have accessories such as a hat that resembles the American flag or another type of  political symbolism.  They can be a very nice addition to a political event as centerpieces for tables or as giveaways to suggest how a person might vote in the next election. 

Politicians or parents sometimes give these election themed stuffed animals to children to give them an early start in the party of choice.  Since there will always be a struggle between the democrats and the republicans in the United States, we expect these partisan animals to be around for a long, long time.

This opossum is an example of a stuffed animal manufactured by Fiesta Toy.

Fiesta^® Toy has been making stuffed animals and teddy bears for over 35 years.  It was founded by a man named Harold Kleinman, and has provided quality stuffed toys since its beginnings back in 1972.

Fiesta offers an especially large wildlife product selection, but has stuffed animals from such categories as jungle and zoo, barnyard and farm, cats, dogs, reptiles, horses and even insects. They also have teddy bears.

Fiesta stuffed animals might make great additions to your collection as well!

More Examples of Fiesta stuffed animals:

Hugging Penguin Stuffed Animals by Fiesta

Kohair Lobster by Fiesta

This organic stuffed animal is made of 100% soy fiber and kapok.

With the green movement, some of the larger stuffed animal manufacturers have started to offer organic stuffed animals.  Aurora World Inc., for example, launched a new line of organic stuffed animals last year under the trademarked term “Aurora Naturally” that features stuffed animals made from 100% soy fiber with 100% kapok, and is an ecologically sound alternative to traditional materials. Kapok is a golden silky fiber known for its hypoallergenic softness and  is a sustainable rainforest crop that comes from the seed of the kapok tree.  If your child has severe allergies, always be sure to check the type of material used for the animal, including the stuffing, since not all organic stuffed animals are hypoallergenic as well.

An example of this organic stuffed animal is this panda.  These are slightly heavier than many of the stuffed animals that use, for example, polyester stuffing, but are not overly heavy.

This little kohair fox is an extremely soft stuffed toy!

Soft stuffed toys always bring smiles to people’s faces.  There are many stuffed animals on the market and each has different qualities.  Some, for example,  are obviously much softer than others. 

When a person is holding a really soft stuffed toy animal, he tends to run his hands over the animal almost automatically much as if petting a real live animal.  The stuffed toy tends to have a calming effect on the person as well.

Soft stuffed toys, especially soft stuffed animals, are a good gift  for older people who may be in a nursing home or elder care facility, although the soft toys are popular with children and adults of all ages as well.

My personal favorites are the stuffed toys made of kohair, which is a very soft material that is used for a variety of stuffed animals.  If you’ve never felt one of those, you should buy one on your next stuffed animal purchase.

Wildlife stuffed animals can be used to educate children about environmental issues

Wildlife stuffed animals are becoming more popular as people become more aware of animal and environmental issues through recent news stories and television documentaries.

Wildlife stuffed animals are available now for almost every kind of wild animal.  You can purchase a wide variety of stuffed animals that depict such popular wildlife as bear, foxes, deer, etc. but you can also find wildlife plush stuffed animals for more unusual animals types as mandrills, kinkajou and tasmanian devils.

These stuffed animals  provide a close up visual representation of the real animal that causes both adults and children to be more curious about the actual animal, its habitat, its habits and perhaps its endangered status. 

The more that people know about animals, the more they will strive to protect them!