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Celebrate Easter with a New Stuffed Animal Friend

Berry Bunny Stuffed AnimalFor families with young children, one of the most exciting parts of Easter is watching your little ones run around the house or yard in search of Easter eggs and their prized Easter baskets. Typically filled with chocolates, jelly beans and marshmallow peeps, we love the idea of adding an extra something special to your children’s baskets this year. One great gift idea that they will get plenty of use out of is a spring-themed stuffed animal friend from The Zoo Factory!

With bunnies, lambs and more, there are lots of adorable stuffable animals to choose from, as well as tons of great outfits to dress them in. Here are just a few of our favorite Easter recommendations:

Berry Bunny

Covered in bright flowers, Berry Bunny is the definition of spring; the perfect Easter present for any child. With big, floppy ears and glittery eyes, this bunny would look perfect in a red or pink tutu!

Miss Lambie

With curly white fur and a bright pink ribbon, we can already imagine Miss Lambie as the guest of honor at your daughter’s next tea party. Looking for the perfect spring outfit for her to wear? We love this frilly green and pink fairy costume.

Brown Rabbit

With big floppy ears and a poufy tail, the Brown Rabbit looks just like a miniature Easter Bunny. Whether you dress him up to play your child’s favorite sport or to have the same career they would like to, the Brown Rabbit and your little one are sure to become fast friends.

Sherman the Sheep

Dressed in pajamas and these adorable bunny slippers, Sherman the Sheep is ready to celebrate Easter with your son or daughter. With his fuzzy white coat and long legs, he is sure to put a smile on your little one’s face.

Regardless of which stuffable animals you choose, don’t forget to order a bag of stuffing and a sound boxes to go with them for the recording of Easter greetings.

Happy Easter from The Zoo Factory!

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Valentine’s Day Gifts Every Daughter will Love

A holiday usually celebrated by couples, Valentine’s Day is also a wonderful opportunity to remind your daughter just how much you love her. You daughter will love spending the day with you and whether you decide to bake pink cupcakes together or let your child introduce you to her current favorite movie, there are so many ways to make this holiday a special one for your entire family. And with Valentine’s Day landing on a Sunday this year, you will have plenty of time to spend with your daughter during the day while still being able to enjoy a night out with your spouse.

Looking for a gift your daughter will love? The Zoo Factory has some sweet ideas for her and her favorite stuffed friends:

Jewelry

cupcake necklace

 

The perfect daddy-daughter Valentine’s Day gift, surprise your daughter with an adorable necklace this year. From bumble bees to cupcakes and ladybugs, there are a wide variety of options to choose from, each in a unique box that compliments the jewelry inside. Whether you choose her favorite animal or a cupcake in her favorite color, your daughter will love wearing this Valentine’s Day gift from you.

“Little Secrets” Heart

little secrets stuffed animal hearts

Whether paired with a new stuffed animal or for your daughter’s favorite stuffed pal to hold, this 16 inch heart is available in purple, pink and red. Each color has a different Valentine’s Day themed message embroidered on it and a secret compartment perfect for storing a Valentine inside.

A New Dress

red and silver dress for stuffed animals

Planning a fancy brunch or an afternoon tea party with your daughter this Valentine’s Day? Come prepared with a new dress for her teddy bear. Some of our favorite outfits for the holiday include the red dress with silver hearts, the black dress with pink hearts and the pink satin tutu!

There are so many great ways to make Valentine’s Day special for your daughter, so why not start a new tradition with her this year? With the holiday less than a month away, place your gift order soon to make sure it arrives in time.

Happy Valentine’s Day from The Zoo Factory!

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Make Your Next Holiday Party Special For Your Youngest Guests

 

There is a lot that goes into planning a holiday party and from the dinner menu to the hors d’oeuvres and the drink list, almost everything is planned around the adults. This year, why not come up with something special for the kids to do? There are plenty of games and activities to include in your festivities, like gingerbread house making or karaoke. Parents and children alike will love that you offered something fun for your youngest guests to do. Our favorite holiday party activity: Stuffable animal kits!

Stuff a Festive Friend

icicle the snowman stuffed animal

Make your holiday party one to remember with holiday stuffable animal kits that the kids will have a great time making. The Zoo Factory kits have Velcro closure on the back, making this a project that your young guests will be able to do without much assistance. There are so many adorable and festive animals to choose from, like Chilly the Polar Bear, Icicle the Snowman and Christmas Bear. All you need is some stuffing!

Dress Your Stuffed Animals in Style

Santa Claus Stuffed Animal T-Shirt

Another great Christmas gift idea is a special outfit for your child’s favorite stuffed animal. Get in the holiday spirit with the adorable red and green Christmas Elf Outfit or the fun and festive Santa Clause T-Shirt. With outfits like these, your stuffed friend will be the star of the season.

Whether you are looking for a new stuffed animal friend or a festive outfit for your favorite teddy bear, The Zoo Factory has everything you need to make this holiday season special for your children. Place your order online or by phone at 866-993-3325.We hope you have a happy holiday season!

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Tips For Throwing A Successful Stuffed Animal Party

Kids at a Birthday Party

As your little one is approaching their next birthday, you want to start thinking of a theme and a fun activity that everyone will enjoy. A stuffed animal party would be a wonderful option to choose this year. At The Zoo Factory you can throw a party with 8 inch, 16 inch or themed stuffed animals. As you prepare for your child’s next birthday, we have a few tips for throwing the party of the year!

 Have More Than Enough Stuffed Animals For Everyone

If a child rsvp’s that they cannot come and shows up randomly at your door, you want to make sure that they can be included in the day’s activities. Accidents can always happen, especially with young children around. We recommend having a couple extra animals on hand, just in case there is any sort of mishap!

 Have a Variety of Stuffed Animals to Choose From

When it comes to choosing stuffed animals, having a variety of options on hand is always best! Every child is different, so give them a chance to show off their individuality with plenty of different stuffed animal options to choose from. Remember, all girls don’t like ponies and all boys don’t love frogs. Have some different options for the kids to choose from so no one goes home disappointed.

Have Fun!

There is a lot that goes into planning a great birthday party, but the most important thing to remember is to have fun! This is an exciting and special day for your child, one that will stand out in their memory for years to come. Relax and enjoy yourself and the smiles on all of the kids’ faces as they celebrate your little one’s big day.

Start planning your stuffed animal party with The Zoo Factory today! View our party packages online and search our site for animals that your kids will love.

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Personalized T-Shirts for Your Stuffed Animal!

plain t shirt

Many times when you are looking for clothes for yourself you seem to be caught between buying the clothes that are popular and trying to find the clothes that speak to you and make a statement about who you are.

Well now you don’t have to make a choice, at least not for a new stuffed friend!

Our fabric markers are just that- markers that you can use on fabric. This means you buy our traditional plain t-shirt to fit your stuffable animal and use the markers to turn that t-shirt into anything you would like it to be.

The markers come in a set of 8 colors. This gives you a variety of colors to choose from and endless options of what to design on your shirt. The great thing about designing your own shirt is that it can be personalized to what you or your child would like to see on shirts. You could even use the markers to create a matching shirt, so your child and their stuffed friend could match and they can show off their twin!

It is important to allow your child to be creative and express themselves, they are only young once and you don’t want them to lose that innocence. When they grow up and start acting like little adults you will regret not having more days where they cuddled up with their stuffed animals and innocently playing with their toys.

At The Zoo Factory, we aim to fuel your child’s imagination, all while making it fun and safe for them.
 
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Customizing Stuffable Animals For Your Child

gorilla

Having toys for your child to play with is important, it helps their imagination run wild and lets them have the dreams you hope they achieve someday.

Many children will use their toys as a way of creating dreams and aspirations for themselves. Instead of letting your child use the popular toy to impersonate them, give them a stuffable animal that is them. Ok, maybe they will not look exactly like them but embodies them in every way possible.

There are many ways to customize one of our stuffed animals to be your child’s mini-me.

First start with the clothes-you can dress them exactly how your child would dress on a daily basis or dress them in your child’s favorite color.

You can also pick the stuffed animal that you think most directly identifies with your child. For example if you have a child who loves to play at the park and is always climbing around you may want to give them a gorilla. Or if your child is somewhat shy and quiet, you could always get them a cute and cuddly rabbit. Choose the animal that is inside of your child just waiting to come out and play.

One last thing you may want to include with your child’s new friend is a scent. If your child is your little sweetie pie or cupcake make sure to include the cupcake aroma-bearapy.

Make your child’s next stuffed animal is a toy they will want to look up to and idolize as they create their own dreams.
 
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Re-Stuffing a Limp Stuffed Animal

stuffing

Stuffed animals become family members very quickly. For children they are companions, teachers, babies, and devoted friends. And for adults they are reminders of another time, perhaps another place, and even a first close relationship. Beloved stuffed animals get worn easily, but are sometimes loved even more in their decay.

 

When stuffed animals lose their stuffing through play and a lot of holding, they may begin to not look like themselves. But repairing this problem is simple as well as being a loving gesture.

 

The first thing to do is go to a fabric or craft store and get polyester fiberfill stuffing. Polyester fiberfill is the best thing for re-stuffing as it is both hand and machine washable. You can even put it in the dryer with the worry of it bunching up and distorting the shape of the animal.  It is also easy to work with.

 

The next step is to locate the spot where the stuffing was first put into the animal. Look closely at all the seams on the toy, especially hidden ones, like down the back, between the legs, under the arms. Search carefully. You will find the spot somewhere on a seam where it gets a bit bumpy or it appears that some of the fur is tucked under there. It shouldn’t be too difficult to locate.

 

Use a good seam ripper and start undoing the threads. Work very gently and carefully so as not to disturb worn patches on the stuffed animal and make them worse. Worn patches may show signs of being well loved, but they are very fragile and need to be worked around with care. Never cut the seam with a scissors.

 

Once you have found the hole and opened it wide enough for your fingers to get in, pick a gumball-sized piece of fiberfill and put it into the empty spaces. With each piece of stuffing, take the time to rub and pat it into place. With newer stuffed animals you might be able to use a stuffing tool like a chopstick, but never use one with old and very worn toys as you might put a hole in the skin. So you stuff and pat, stuff and pat. Be sure to rub out any lumps and bumps.

 

Stuff the toy until you are satisfied with its firmness or softness. Now you are ready to re stitch the seam. Using a simple ladder stitch, and sewing with extra strong thread, close up the hole. Take care to not leave any threads hanging out when you finish up. Make sure they are well tucked.

 

You have your family member back and restored. It can be hugged and played with, sit at a tea party, or be a bed companion. A beloved friend is back in action!
 
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Creative Ways to Store Stuffed Animals

stuffed animals

Stuffed animals, whether they are yours or your children’s, tend to be fruitful and multiply. They are wonderful and warm gifts, and we all grow attached to them. Throwing them out is absolutely unheard of.

So how do you store them?

Do you stick them in a toy trunk or use them as decorations and display them?

Most stuffed animals are colorful and cute, and they make a great addition to your home decor. Burying them in a trunk or toy box doesn’t really give them their due. Especially for children who tend to have a special attachment to each stuffed animal, being able to see them all the time is like a security blanket. There are as many ways to display your stuffed animals as there are people to think of them, and here are a few ideas.

Of course you can always put them on a shelf or dresser top. But in the interest of getting a bit more creative, think a bit outside the box. Get a nice tree branch from your yard. You can paint it to accent the room’s color or leave it natural. Then hang a swing from the branch and display the stuffed animals on that swing.

Think baskets. They can be made of any material that you like, and you can buy them readymade or create your own if you’re that energetic. Hang the baskets from floor to ceiling and put a few stuffed animals in each basket. You might organize them according to species, or color, or put the ones your kids hold most often near the bottom so they are easily accessed.

Ladders are beautiful home accessories, and can hold books, objects or anything you can think of. So why not display stuffed animals on them. You can paint the ladder to compliment the room’s color or paint it your child’s favorite color, and let him or her help you place the animals. You should nail the ladder to the wall to prevent accidents.

Finally there is the catch-all – the hammock! String a hammock anywhere that suits the room and just pile all the stuffed animals in it. It is an adorable way to display them and your child will enjoy seeing them all in one place.

As an important part of your child’s life – or even yours – stuffed animals deserve to be visible to everyone. They add color, shape, and life to any room. So think about displaying them and not shutting them up with other toys. They are special items in your life, have earned your or your child’s love, and even been teachers. Honor them.

 
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New: AromaBearapy for your Stuffable Animals!

scent chips

During the holiday time you smell the cookies cooking and it brings back those memories of making them with your mom as a child. Or in the summer time the first time you cut the grass and it brings back memories of having a teddy bear picnic in your yard. These are all memories based around scents. Imagine the possibilities you have to create scent memories with your children.

AromaBearapy scent chips can be placed into your Zoo Factory animal to give off the scent of your choice. Currently there are 8 scents to choose from, including buttered popcorn and cupcake!

If you are unsure of what scent you would like to choose or if this is a surprise for your child, think about where this gift will be given to them. If you are planning on giving this a party of a birthday party package, you may want to think about getting cupcake flavored scent. They will remember all the fun times they have with finds create zoo factory animals every time they smell a cupcake scent.aromabearapy

Giving the bear as a gift? You may want to use Chocolate Mint or Strawberry. These two scents are very popular and can be used for any occasion. AromaBearapy scent chips are a great addition to any stuffed animal and can take a regular stuffed animal to the next level. It may even make your child choose a brand new favorite toy!

We only have 5 senses and with toys it is difficult to engage multiple senses. With AromaBearapy scent chips you are engaging the sense of smell, touch and sight. Other toys only engage touch and sight. These new scent chips can help your child grow more than you could imagine.

Have any questions about this new product? Give The Zoo Factory a call!
 
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Stuffed Animals: Gifts for Young Children

stuffed animals Stuffed animals have been around for ages. Years ago, almost every child had a teddy bear or favorite plush toy, and that stuffed animal became a cherished companion. Stuffed animals are very often a young child’s first friend, and many lessons can be learned from this special relationship.

Children frequently learn how to express their feelings non-verbally to their stuffed animal, and this is so important in the development of openness and an ability to share innermost thoughts and feelings. Children learn the concept of sharing with their stuffed friend, and the concept of caring through their relationship with these furry beings.

Giving a stuffed animal as a gift is a wonderful way to start a young child on the journey of life. But these gifts should be age appropriate and the right size for the child. Every child should be able to hold his stuffed animal to cuddle and communicate with. This can be a child’s first experience of “This is mine”, and communication can be very private.

Often even young children will indicate that they have a favorite animal, and if you are lucky enough to have that information, you should favor buying that animal. Boys will often prefer dogs to cats, and monkeys to teddies. But keep in mind that you also teach the child about that animal by giving it as a gift, so if the child is a bit older, more exotic stuffed animals like giraffes and parrots could be wonderful.

Of course there is nothing more beloved than the teddy bear and you ought not to shy away from buying one just because everyone thinks of him when thinking of a stuffed animal. They are cuddly and loyal companions, and every child responds to a teddy. When buying for a specific child, keep in mind the child’s size and age, colors she responds to, and gender. Some teddies look masculine and some feminine.

Whatever your decision, you can rest assured that a stuffed animal will be welcome by parents and treasured by the child.

 
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