You don’t necessarily need to buy talking stuffed animals. You can make them yourself. The added benefit is that you can make them say whatever you want.
It is not very difficult to make a talking stuffed animal. You would need to buy a couple of electronic gadgets and then simply put them in the toy. There are quite a few options.
For example there are little devices that will allow you to prerecord a message that can then be played. These would be ideal for personal gifts for an anniversary, birthday and so on. There are also lots of small devices with already recorded phrases, songs and so on. It all depends on who you are making the talking stuffed animal for.
You can find these devices online. For example a small board with 10 second recordable option on eBay is about 3 dollars. There is an option to keep recording new messages or record one and hide the recording button. This means you can even get two and have your toy be able to say more stuff.
Here’s how to make a talking stuffed animal
Ok, you’ve bought a device (or devices). Now you need to place it into the stuffed animal. This is relatively simple but you need to put some thought into it to make it good.
Some boards for example are very tiny and can fit into the paw of a bigger stuffie. Other devices though would be better suited in the body of the toy. There they would be better protected too.
You would need a seam ripper tool for that. Search for a seem on the body of the toy that is not on a too visible place. Rip a couple of inches from the seam, just enough to put the board in. First remove some of the stuffing to make enough room. You can then return the stuffing around the board to hold it in place and protect it better.
Most recordable boards have a small button for trigering the sound. You would need to figure out a place for it on the toy. One option would be in the paw just under the outer layer. Whatever place you chose, remember to place it in a way not to cause too much squeezing on the toy which can break the sound board.
Then sew the seam closed again. Use a thread that is as close as possible to the original one. The devices usually have batteries that last quite a long time, so you should be good to go. If you don’t want to rip the toy again in a few years, then you can replace the torn seam with Velcro strip or buttons. This will make access to the sound board very easy at any given time.
