A lot of toy trends come and go. Some stay for longer, some are only a flash. But others stay for decades and decades. And one of the longest ones is stuffed animals.
Stuffed animals have been around for decades. They really hit their stride in the early 1900s. There were plushies before that, too, but they weren’t as cute as we are used to them today.
Of course, there were many other toys before that. Mostly wooden toys, figures and etc. And sure, there are more popular toys today like action figures for example. Or constructors like LEGO.
They are also quite old, but they don’t have the same warmth and energy like plushies. And while other toys often go up or down in interest, stuffed animals are always near the top. Usually in the top three.
Over the years stuffed animals have developed and tried new trends. They have even started quite a few of trend that today are still going strong. Teddy Ruxpin for example helped a lot for the development and popularity of interactive stuffed animals. And interactive toys in general.
The Beanie Babies showed us how truly desirable and collectible stuffed animals can be. Tickle me Elmo added a new notch to the world of interactive toys. The same can be said for the Furby plushies, too.
Stuffed animals have also gone into the digital world thanks to Webkinz and other similar brands. You could buy a plushie and enter a code from it to a game or website and play with that same character in a virtual world.
These toys outlasted hot sellers like the fidget spinners which had one hot summer. They are still here and very popular despite the strong competition from computers, video games and electronics in general.
All of this shows us the true value of stuffed animals. In fact, many people see them as more than just toys. Stuffies are friends. And they are here to stay or a lot longer.
