Category: Stuffable Animals

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How to Prevent Your Dog from Chewing on Your Stuffed Animals

dog sniffing stuffed animal

Many dogs love stuffed animals. They’ll cuddle up with them, sleep with them, and take them everywhere they go. Others, however, only see your stuffed animals as chew toys. So, what can you do if your dog keeps chewing up your and your child’s stuffed animal collection? Here are some tips to get started:

Separate your dog’s toys from your own

Provide a box or bin where the dog’s toys are located. Introduce this area to your dog and show them how to retrieve toys from there only. This will help your dog learn which toys and theirs and which are off-limits. Be sure to also make a positive association with the location of the dog’s toys. Throw a couple of treats in the box when the dog retrieves a toy or when he picks one up to put back.

Teach Your Dog Commands

If it hasn’t already been established, teach your dog the “leave it” or “drop it” command. Doing so will prevent further damage to your stuffed animals if your dog has their jaws around it. This will not only save you stuffed animals, but socks, slippers and toilet paper as well.

Keep Your Stuffed Animals Out of Reach

The best way to keep your dog from chewing up your stuffed animals is to keep them out of reach. A storage container with a locking lid is the best way to protect your stuffed animals. However, you can also place them up on a shelf or in a closed closet.

 

If your dog has chewed up a few of your stuffed animals, then you’ll need to get new ones to replace them. Here at The Zoo Factory, we have plenty of lovable stuffed animals for you to choose from. Look through our website to get started!

 

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The Benefits of Traveling with a Stuffed Animal

stuffed animals sitting in car seat

Traveling to new places can be an exhilarating experience for you and your kids. But from time to time, our kids can get a little homesick. That’s why many of them bring their trusted stuffed animal friend with them for the trip. Acting as a source of comfort, there are many benefits to your child bringing their stuffed animal along for the ride.

It reminds them of home

Many travelers pack a beloved stuffed animal when they go on trips because it reminds them of home when they have to be away. After all, going to a new place can be scary as much as it is exciting. Having their stuffed animal at their side can help your child transition to a new place more easily.

It will help them sleep

The first few nights in a hotel can be difficult for your child. They’re in a new place with different sounds. As such, they could get nervous when going to sleep at night. Their stuffed animal can help protect them and make them feel safe in strange, dark surroundings.

Stuffed animals are part of the family

To some, the stuffed animal is part of the family. When you go on a family vacation or a trip, you don’t leave some of your family behind; you take them all with you. So, why would you leave a beloved stuffed animal behind? Your child’s stuffed animal wants to enjoy the trip as much as they do!

Here at The Zoo Factory, we think every child should bring along their favorite stuffed animal on their next adventure. To find a stuffed animal for your child, look through our website today!

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How to Throw a Teddy Bear Picnic Party

Teddy Bear on a Picnic

Now that sunshine has become consistent across the United States, many people are eager to get outside with their families and enjoy the weather while it lasts.

If you’re looking for a way to keep your children busy now that school is out for the summer, consider helping them host a teddy bear picnic.

Guests and Invitations

Consider inviting your child’s classroom pals to a teddy bear picnic party for one last “gathering” as the children part ways for the summer months. Encourage guests to dress up as teddy bears or allow them to create their own costumes at the party; bear ears or masks are some easy and fun ways to incorporate your theme. Face painting is another great idea for those skilled enough to turn children into fuzzy bears!

Create some fun bear-shaped invitations and make sure to invite each guest’s teddy bear as well. For introductions, have each child introduce their teddy bear to everyone after they introduce themselves.

Venue and Decorations

Hosting a teddy bear picnic party outdoors in your backyard or at a park is ideal, as you can use the natural settings as your decorations. However, in the event of rain, hosting a picnic inside is also easy with the right decorations.

To start, grab all the teddy bears you have and set up some plastic tea sets between the bears. Grab some brightly colored blankets to serve as seating for the party. Find creative ways to use picnic baskets, like for holding utensils or for games. Finish off the decorations with some balloons and streamers.

Food and Activities

Go for picnic-themed foods, like sandwiches, fruits, chips, and ice cream. Add some fun touches with bear-shaped foods – just grab a bear-shaped cookie cutter and go to town. Consider Teddy Grahams and gummy bears to fit your theme. Remember to serve your food on brightly colored or bear-themed plates.

For entertainment, grab some books about bears and have a read along. Set up some crafts for kids to make their own bears, and teach partygoers some bear songs like “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear.” Consider showing a movie featuring a bear, like Winnie the Pooh.

Another great activity is to let children bring their own new teddy bear or stuffed animal to life! The Zoo Factory offers stuffable bears and other animals perfect for making memories at parties. Complete your party with this fun activity and your teddy bear picnic will be a great success!

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What the Color of Your Teddy Bear Means

A teddy bear can symbolize a variety of things such as love, loWhat the Color of Your Teddy Bear Means yalty, faith, growth, and happiness. A teddy bear can serve as a “get well card” or a heartfelt romantic gesture. Teddy bears come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, and believe it not, the color of a teddy bear typically has a specific meaning associated with it.

Although we’d encourage you to simply pick the teddy bear simply you like the most, it’s fun to know what the color might mean:

Green

Shades of green often symbolize things such as growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green represents a very strong emotional connection and is perfect for an expectant mother or someone that you have built a strong relationship with that you are hoping to develop into something more.

Red

A red teddy bear is a bold declaration of love, and if you want to make a statement about how much you love someone, a red bear is a sweet way to do so! The color red is representative of passion, desire, and never-ending love: a red teddy bear does a great job of showcasing that.

Brown

We absolutely adore a brown teddy bear. A brown teddy bear is the “go-to” classic teddy bear color which represents stability, support, and protection. If you just want to simply show someone that you care about them or provide a sweet source of comfort to a little one, a brown teddy bear is guaranteed to make someone smile.

Orange

An orange teddy bear is extremely unique and vibrant, and it stands out against most other bears. The color orange typically indicates happiness and enthusiasm. If your goal is to make someone smile, an orange teddy bear will give them instant energy and joy.

White

The color white is typically symbolic of peace, purity, innocence and good spirits. For someone that is seeking a new beginning, a white teddy bear is ideal. However, a white teddy bear is rumored to indicate that a relationship is just a friendship and nothing more, and usually does not indicate a romantic gesture.

Hoping to get someone special the perfect teddy bear? Visit The Zoo Factory for a variety of animals, outfits, and extras.

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The Importance of Teddy Bears to Police Officers

When most adults think of police officers, we think of strong, brave men and women who spend their days and nights protecting us and maintaining the law.The Importance of Teddy Bears to Police Officers

And in the eyes of our children police officers are the individuals that can provide you with help in any situation.

Whether a child gets separated from their mother at the park or is in the back seat of their parent’s minivan during a fender bender, it is almost always a police officer who is there to console them and make sure they are ok.

In situations like these, the tools that brave officer uses are rather different than the ones they carry on a day-to-day basis, with one of the most important ones being a teddy bear.

According to Brunswick Police Captain Angela Smith, “When a child is caught up in a tragic situation, a teddy bear can distract and calm them,” which is why the Brunswick Police Department and so many others across the country keep teddy bears and other stuffed animal on hand to help comfort children in the midst of frightening situations.

This January, the Brunswick Police Department was lucky enough to receive the generous gift of 250 teddy bears; each packed neatly in its own gift bag.

Donated by local resident Doris Carter and the insurance firm she represents, this gift will go far in helping both local children and officers.

We at The Zoo Factory are incredibly touched by this sweet story, and thankful for all the brave men and women driving through their town with a teddy bear tucked in the trunk of their police car, ready for a child in need!

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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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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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Cleaning Your Stuffed Ani-pal

UnicornKids and stuffed animals; they go together like cheese and crackers. Your child’s favorite fluffy friend is a companion, confidante, and playmate. Keeping these treasures clean and cared for is something your child can get into quite easily with a little help from you.

 

Pookie the piglet or Snowflake the rabbit are going to get soiled and collect dust and your child should know that, just as he needs to take care of his body, his ani-pal’s body needs care as well. Showing him how to do this is not only instructive, but creates a deeper bond between child and stuffed animal.

 

A simple hand-held vacuum can be used regularly to remove surface dust, and even a young child can do this. Make sure to get into all of Snowflake’s crevices, to vacuum feet, and give the entire body a good overhaul. It might also be good to explain to your child that dust is bad for his pal as well as himself, and that removing dust is good for Pookie’s health. Children imbue their toys with human emotions and needs, and your child will want a happy and healthy stuffed animal.

 

dragonEvery few months it is a good idea to give your child’s stuffed animal a “bath” by putting it in the washing machine. Use cold water and a gentle cycle and follow the cleaning instructions on the animal. While you are doing this you will be teaching your child how to use the washing machine, as well as helping him understand that his ani-pal needs to be clean just as he does.

 

You can make these tasks fun events for your child, special times for him and his stuffed animal to share together. And they can be instructional as well. This is a time for teaching your child how to care for someone other than himself, and these times of growth are important and precious for everyone, even for you.
 
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