Stuffed Animals Archives - Page 3 of 5

Posted on December 16, 2016 by ZooFactory — Leave a comment

Hockey and Teddy Bears are the Perfect Pair

Hockey is rough, aggressive, competitive, and strenuous sport. Teddy bears are soft warm, cozy, and sweet stuffed animals.

If you tried to list the similarities between hockey and teddy bears, you probably wouldn’t come up with much at all.

However, hockey and teddy bears have been making the perfect pair for decades.

Many minor and junior hockey teams in United States and Canada have made teddy bears a focus of their team during winter months.

Many hockey teams hold a “teddy bear toss” at one of their games during the holiday season.

Minor and junior hockey teams typically select one game where they encourage anyone attending to bring a teddy bear with them to the game. When the hockey game is finished, win or lose, the fans are encouraged to throw all of the teddy bears over the boards and onto the ice. The teddy bears are collected by the players and coaches and given to a good cause.

The teddy bears collected are donated to children at hospitals, local shelters, or charities in honor of the holiday season.

The teddy bear toss tradition has been going since the early nineties and it is still going throughout North America. Teams manage to collect hundreds to thousands of teddy bears during this event.

Below is a video of the Calgary Hitmen, a major junior ice hockey team out of Canada, receiving 17,601 teddy bears after a win at home.

The teddy bears collected during this even were able to be donate to 60 different local charities.

If you’re going to a teddy bear toss sometime soon, make sure you get your teddy bear from The Zoo Factory.

Posted on November 23, 2016 by ZooFactory — Leave a comment

A Teddy Bear Commercial Has Taken the World By Storm

If you have recently watched television, you have likely seen a commercial with two adorable teddy bears dressed as an elderly couple that are strolling hand in hand through a bustling airport. The teddy bear commercial was recently released and has already taken the world by storm.

Whether you are the one traveling or you are waiting for someone to travel to you, traveling is a huge part of the holiday season.

We all look forward to seeing our loved ones during the holiday season and this commercial uses that feeling to their advantage.

The commercial is titled “Coming Home for Christmas” and was distributed by London’s Heathrow Airport. It was the first Christmas commercial that airport has ever put out and it was certainly successful. The ad was filmed at the airport over the course of three days while the airport was operating.

The commercial, regardless of it being just a minute long, has received over three million views.

It is sweet, warm, and fuzzy, similar to the adorable bears that we follow throughout it.

We watch the bears get off of their airplane, get their passports checked, conquer an escalator together, and struggle reaching their baggage. They are portrayed as a well-dressed older couple, supporting one another in the attempt to travel without issues. The ending is guaranteed to pull on your heart strings.

Check out the commercial below:

Jonathon Coen, the commercial’s director spoke on the commercial saying, “We love the film and hope the bears’ journey through the airport captures that excitement you feel when walking through Heathrow arrivals into the arms of your loved ones at Christmas.”

We think the commercial is adorable and we can see why it has gotten international attention, cute teddy bears usually do.

If you are looking to give a teddy bear as a gift this holiday season, visit The Zoo Factory.

Posted on November 10, 2016 by ZooFactory — Leave a comment

Open Heart Surgery Patients Get Teddy Bears

If you have recently visited the cardiac unit of a hospital, you have likely seen teddy bears sitting beside patients on their bed and walking hand in hand with surgeons. Many hospitals have rooms full of teddy bears for patients that get cardiac operations, such as open heart surgery.

The patients are given these teddy bears as a part of their recovery process. These bears are extremely firm and relatively heavy, serving a very important purpose. The bears are used as a chest brace for the patients.

After an operation, cardiac patients struggle with severe pain from their stitches. When patients need to cough, sneeze, or laugh, they hug the bear against their chest. Patients struggle after surgery to open the air sacs at the bottom of their lungs which causes frequent and painful coughing spells. Pressing the teddy bear against their chest eases the pain and holds the stitches in place. Patients keep the bear at their side throughout their hospital stay and the bear eventually goes home with the patient, serving as a keepsake for the patient.

The bears do not shed which ensures the cleanliness of the stitches. The bears are also a full-sized teddy bear which allows patients the ability to easily grab a hold of it and find it. It can easily be found when a patient is lying in bed. If the bear falls out of bed, it can be easily grabbed by an arm or a leg. Many hospitals used to use towels or pillows as a brace which were not as effective and not as cute!

These bears also become a companion for the patients. After a week or so in the hospital, patients get lonely, itching to go home to their family. These bears provide some company for patients, but most importantly, help them heal appropriately and comfortably. If someone you know just had a major operation, consider getting their cardiac bear a friend from The Zoo Factory.

Posted on October 19, 2015March 1, 2023 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

Ideas For Dressing Up Your Stuffed Animals For Halloween

With Halloween quickly approaching, it’s time to get everyone’s costumes ready; including your stuffed animals. Here at the Zoo Factory, we have everything you will need to make this Halloween super special. We have a large selection of outfits for your children to dress their stuffed friends in, so they can match.

While we do have an adorable pumpkin costume, your choices don’t end there.

Superheroes

With the growing popularity of the Marvel and DC comics, superheroes are a great choice for your stuffed animal or doll. Spider bear or super bear would be a great sidekick for your little superheroes.

Knights & Princesses

Princesses are always a popular choice for costumes. Consider dressing your stuffed friend as a princess as well or a medieval knight. Fairies and witches would be a good match as well.

Careers

Have a doctor or fireman going out trick or treating? We have the perfect companion outfits. We have doctor and nurse’s scrubs, astronaut suits and a pilot outfit, with the accompanying goggles. There is also a variety of military uniforms as well.

Sports Uniforms

Basketball, baseball, hockey soccer, karate and more, your sports star will find the perfect costume for their stuffed animal.

Don’t forget to check out our pajamas section. After coming home from a long night of trick or treating, everyone (Teddy included) will want to put their pajamas on and relax.

If you’re looking for the perfect stuffed animals, we can help with over 200 options. At The Zoo Factory, you’ll find everything you need for your stuffed friends and dolls. Contact us today!

Posted on October 5, 2015 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

Fall Camping With Your Stuffed Animals

Looking back, some of the best childhood memories were from family camping trips that we all took. Away from the technology and busyness, we had the entire time to ourselves and our families.

If you didn’t get the opportunity to go camping this summer, it actually works out for the better.

Taking a camping trip during the fall months may prove to be a better time to go for your family. The scenery and fall foliage are beautiful and these picturesque views will make you glad you waited a few months.

Not only are the views spectacular but the weather isn’t too shabby either. Waking up to crisp morning air will make your coffee and hot chocolate taste even better and the cooler temperatures make hiking and spending time outdoors much more comfortable than the stifling summer months.

There are a variety of different camp activities for the entire family like apple and pumpkin picking, local festivals and even fishing derbies.

Many children like to bring their friends along for the camping trip and you’d hate for them to miss out on the fun.

If you’re thinking of taking your stuffed friend or dolls along for the adventure consider adding these items to your packing list:

Let your doll or stuffed animal snuggle up next to you in sleeping bag that fits them just right.
Feeling hungry after a long day of apple picking and running through corn mazes? With the Coleman stove you will get a light-up stove, iron skillet, spatula, burger, grilled cheese, fried eggs and bacon.
Cool down after a long day hiking with some nice cold drinks from the Coleman cooler. It also comes with two glasses of lemonade with straws.
Being afraid of the dark is no longer a problem with our Coleman Lantern!

With dozens of stuffed animals to choose from and a wide variety of accessories, The Zoo Factory has everything you need for your stuffed animals or dolls and your upcoming camping trip. Please check out our selection and contact us today!

Posted on August 31, 2015March 1, 2023 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

Purchasing New Stuffing To Bring Your Child’s Animal Back To Life

Stuffed animals are so adorably soft, plush and serve as the perfect source for comfort and cuddling. Overtime after all of the hugs and snuggles, your little one’s stuffed animal could have seen better days.

It is not uncommon for stuffed animals to have lost their fluffiness and your little one may begin to notice the changes and become upset. After all, stuffed animals are a sense of security for little children and even the slightest of changes can become a catastrophe.

Some parents might think it is time to make a new friend by purchasing a new stuffed animal when they notice the other one has gotten too flat. This is not really necessary, especially if the child has an emotional attachment to it.

By re-stuffing, the animal can once again have its fluffy appearance. Most store bought stuffed animals are sewn together when you purchase them. This entails you having to make a cut along the seam and opening the stuffed animal. Once the new stuffing has been put in, you just have to sew it back up. With this option, you run the risk of not closing the fur tightly enough, which could result in a tear and spillage of stuffing.

A simple solution to this problem is by purchasing a stuff-able bear that you and your child can stuff for the first time together. These stuffed animals are closed by zipper or Velcro, which makes it much easier to re-apply stuffing in the future.

Our stuff-able adorable animal friends can be re-stuffed and we have our available stuffing listed on our website. You can purchase additional stuffing by choosing the size of the animal. The sizing options are for 8 inch and 16 inch. If you want to bring back to life your child’s stuffed animal, you can do so with The Zoo Factory today.

Posted on August 14, 2015 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

Finding Accessories For Your Child’s Stuffed Animal

There are a variety of child friendly toys that can become a treasured item in their life. However, nothing can really compare to the love given to a stuffed animal. Stuffed animals are a little one’s first best friend and companion that travel to and fro wherever they go.

Stuffed animals bring much comfort in times of need in a child’s life such as birthdays, illnesses, first school experience, and also for those just because moments.

What else that is so great about a stuffed animal is that there are no batteries required, there is little to no maintenance expect for an occasional washing, and they are the perfect way to give and get a comforting squeeze.

When stuffed animals first became popular decades ago, it was typically a brown, black or white teddy bear. This teddy bear would be fuzzy and cute and very simple. Nowadays, stuffed animals can be accessorized to the fullest, making playing with them so much more fun.

Your little one will certainly have a delightful time dressing up and accessorizing their stuffed friend. Some examples of accessories include outfits, shoes, hats, jewelry, back packs, bathing items, swimwear, and sunglasses.

Two very adorable accessories available for stuffed animals are the sleeping bags and Little Secret Hearts.

As a companion for sleepovers, the sleeping bag is perfect. Fitting a large stuffed animal, the sleeping bag is so much fun for little ones to play pretend sleepover with their best furry friend. When going on vacation or when having to be away, your child’s stuffed animal’s sleeping bag brings much comfort and entertainment.

Little Secret Hearts are 16 inches and have an elastic band that wraps around the stuffed animal and also has a little storage compartment. Closing with Velcro, your little one’s animal can hold or hug their little secrets! Each Little Secret Heart has a sweet message embroidered on the front, making it much more significant.

For a look at these stuffed animal accessories, feel free to browse through our website. The Zoo Factory has a wonderful collection of accessories that will be perfect, contact us for more information today.

Posted on August 11, 2015 by The Zoo Factory — 1 Comment

Adding A Wonderful Scent To Your Child’s Stuffed Animal

One of the strongest senses the human body experiences is the sense of smell. Scents play a key role in our mental and emotional well-being. Most people have a favorite scent that brings them peace, and a feeling of calm and happiness. This occurs most often with children.

Whether it is a parent’s scent, the smell of the laundry detergent or food, children relate happiness and memories to a special scent. Scents and significant items are particularly important in the life of a child. Think back to your own childhood and we can imagine that at one point, there was a stuffed animal or doll that was a favorite. As a small child, stuffed animals and their unique scent are very comforting.

When you combine the two, a stuffed animal and inviting scent, you have a wonderful combination in a product that is sure to be loved by any little human being.

The world of creating a stuffed animal friend is a popular activity for our youngest generation. They love the idea that their buddy has been hand-picked and stuffed just for them. You can now take the special process one step further by placing a scent in the middle of the stuffing within the animal for a long-lasting smell.

Aromabearapy has a full line of adorable paw-inspired scent chips to be placed within stuffed animals. All you have to do is add the scent chip in the middle of the tummy inside of the stuffing. After a few minutes, tell your little one to hug their friend tightly and a wonderful smell will erupt from the animal. The smell is not over-powering. Some of the scents include baby powder, bubble gum, apple, cotton candy, strawberry, and more.

For a full list and description of the available Aromabearapy scent chips, feel free to browse our website. For more information, contact us today!

Posted on July 16, 2015 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

Why It’s Important To Clean Your Stuffed Animal

You may keep a very clean home, shampooing your carpets and disinfecting your surfaces regularly to keep your kids safe from everyday germs that can be very harmful to them. What you may not realize, though is that their security item, like their stuffed animals, also need a little bit of extra attention in order for your children to stay safe.

The most common issue that your child’s stuffed animal would likely have is dust mites, and dust mite allergens can become a contributing factor to eczema and asthma flare-ups. Stuffed animals can also be home to other harmful bacteria that can pass colds and flus, from one child to another or from your child to you.

Luckily for you, as long as your child’s stuffed animal fits in the washing machine, you can prevent the spread of germ and allergens! With the help of a laundry bag, like the ones we have available on our site, your stuffed friends become machine washable.

We recommend that you wash your furry friends once per week at a high temperature with antibiotic detergent. The laundry bag will ensure that your stuffed friend will stay intact and unharmed in the washing machine, as well as the dryer. Rips and tears could occur if your teddy gets snagged on buttons or zippers that are also in the washing machine, but our laundry bag will prevent all of these issues.

Pick up a laundry bag today and stick those stuffed animals in the wash to get rid of germs and allergens that are hiding behind their sweet plush faces. Get your hands on these helpful stuffed animal cleaning accessories from The Zoo Factory! For more information or to order any of our great products, contact us today!

Posted on May 22, 2015 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

How To Have Fun This Summer Vacation

Summer vacation is here! There will be days spent by the pool, and in front of the TV, and hopefully playing outside in the yard. Summertime is a break from the classroom, homework, and any schoolyard drama that is hard to deal with during the year. For a lot of kids, the summer is a great time to recharge, relax, and just worry about having fun for a change.

But even the summer is time spent distracted, forgetting almost everything they’ve learned the year before, you can still keep your kids engaged this summer. Exercise both their bodies and their minds, and those first few weeks back at school in the fall won’t be so bad.

If you’re running out of activities to do that are both interesting and educational for your kids, consider a make-your-own stuffed animal kit from The Zoo Factory.

These projects, which come in all shapes and sizes, from classic teddy bears to cats, and dogs to pillow pets, require no sewing, and can teach your kids about following directions and the value of working on something with your hands. At the end of the process, they’ll have a finished product that they can keep, and when they look at it, they’ll remember that they made it themselves. How cool!

Like we said, the summers can cause a little brain lethargy and, after about a week, it’s hard to come up with interesting, new activities to keep your kids entertained. Try a make-your-own stuffed animal kit from The Zoo Factory to shake things up! The best part is your kids will learn a thing or two throughout the process. For more information about any of the products we offer or to order yours, contact us today!