You may be familiar with the Ebola stuffed animal that made the news last month. The company that makes it says the toy has become a total hit.
GIANT microbes actually has been selling the Ebola stuffed animal for a few years now. But ever since the disease made the news it has found an enormous popularity.
“We have seen an intense increase in sales lately, and it started about a month ago,” says Giant Microbes Vice President Laura Sullivan in front of the Stamford advocate.
The Ebola stuffed animal is a hit
It turns out for the past month GIANT microbes have sold thousands and thousands of the Ebola stuffed animal. Currently the toys are temporarily out of stock but the company has reordered another batch. Soon the sales will continue.
The toy costs $9.95. The company is privately owned so it doesn’t disclose its figures. But it is safe to assume that the Ebola stuffed animal is making quite a nice bump into the company’s bank account.
GIANT microbes actually have experienced this before. The outbreaks of swine flu in 2009 and the various outbreaks of e. colu throughout the years have also boosted the sales of other virus-themed stuffed animals the company makes.
The goal of the toys is to help inform about the diseases. They come with a card with information about the given virus. The toys are modeled to look a bit more friendly.
Apart from people ordering the Ebola stuffed animal and other similar toys for themselves or as a gag gift, medical professionals, teachers and college professors also order the toys, sometimes in larger quantities. They use them for teaching.
Sullivan though doesn’t think most people by the toy as a gag gift. She says the interest is natural and part of what’s going on. To be a part of what’s happening.
But now GIANT microbes have competition. The company Herobuilders has released “The Case-E Ebola Nurse” toy. It is an action figure of a nurse that helps treat Ebola. While it may not be a stuffed animal, the toy signifies the growing interest in that market.
So it is just a matter of time before other Ebola stuffed animal toys pop up in the market. This shows that where there’s interest, there’s always a market. Even if it is for a sensitive topic like a major disease outbreak. As of Oct. 31 2014 there were 13 567 cases of Ebola with 4951 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
