Posted on October 3, 2014 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

Outfits: The Ultimate Accessory for Playtime

When people think of the month of October, one of the things they also think of is Halloween. Of course, this will make us think of candy, but this is also a great time to dress up!

Everyone loves getting to pretend that they are someone else. Whether the costume is a pirate, or an animal, or a superhero, or even a fairy princess, Halloween is a time to play pretend and have loads of fun. But you know who else really loves to dress up? Your stuffable animals!

And this isn’t just during the month of October. The Zoo Factory has outfits that fit both the larger and smaller stuffed animals, and they work for any occasion!

For those casual days when it’s time to down with some playtime fun, we have options like denim shorts, plain colored T-shirts, and even some pajamas too! These articles of clothing will allow your best friend to feel comfortable while playing with you!

And for those days where they need to look a little spiffier, we have dressier options as well! From frilly dresses to sequined shirts to tutus, we have everything that you and your stuffable animal could ever need for a fun night out on the town.

October as we mentioned before is a great time to dress up, there are just so many possibilities! Just like you, your stuffable animals have a personality all their own, and wouldn’t it be nice to have outfits that expressed that for them as well?

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Posted on September 23, 2014 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

Tips for Stuffing Your Stuffable Animals

We all know how fun it can be to assemble our animals and truly make them our own. You can personalize them, dress them up, and they make you feel like a million bucks!

But, your stuffed animal deserves to look and feel just as good. There are many things you can do to make sure that your stuffable animal will look awesome, and a lot of it has to do with how you stuff it. Here are some awesome tips on making sure you stuff your animal in a way that will make it look great!

There are going to be some sections of your animal that are going to be harder to reach with the stuffing. Use the eraser side of a pencil to help you with the hard to reach places like ears and feet. Make sure you get to these crevices first, because it will be much easier. Then you can concentrate on the larger areas, like the tummy!

Make sure you use the right amount of stuffing for your animal. If you don’t, then it can come out looking either too full or could come out misshaped. If you’re not sure, put in smaller amounts of stuffing at a time, and it will be easier to judge just how much more your future friend will need!

If you have concerns that the stuffing may look a little lumpy, tear it apart before putting it into your stuffable animal. This will make it smoother and easier to maneuver.

Once you have stuffed your animal, play around with it a bit to make sure the stuffing is even throughout the toy. Most of us love massages, so why wouldn’t they?

Have you discovered any tricks to stuffing your stuffable animals? Share them in the comments below!

If you still have some questions, feel free to contact The Zoo Factory today!

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Posted on August 6, 2014 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

What You Want to Be When You Grow Up

Children are known for having their great imaginations and playing pretend. Adults would always ask, what do you want to be when you’re older? What do you want to do when you grow up?

Here are some of the most popular answers:

Astronaut: many kids of going into space. There is nothing cooler to kids than rocket ships, aliens, and stars. Children are meant to explore and see what’s out there!

Dancers: girls especially will dream of being dancers and showing their moves on stage- whether that’s through ballet, tap, hip hop, jazz, or other styles.

Athletes: Who wouldn’t like to have a job doing something they already like to do? Playing sports is one dream of many children and is a goal to reach for that is actually fun!

Vets: The best way to spend the day is with animals, right? Many children want to help animals that are hurt and make the world a better place for their furry friends.

Pilot: How cool would it be to be able to fly a plane?! Everyone would look like ants from up there! But seriously, kids love the idea of being able to fly and go somewhere new and exciting.

Doctor: Some kids have big hearts and want to make others feel better and possibly even give them surgery. We won’t tell them about the medical school they have to go through first.

Military: From a young age, children might get the urge to serve their country and fight for freedom.

No matter what they decide they want to be, as parents and family the best thing that we can do for them is encourage them to live their dreams and work toward their goal. Giving them a stuffable animal with a special outfit is a great way to do just that.

Check out the site to learn more!

Posted on July 7, 2014 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

Make Your Animal Friends Talk!

Although we all know that stuffed animals are the best things in the world anyway, there is one thing that could make them even better… don’t you remember being a kid and wishing more than anything that your stuffed animal would come to life? Wishing they could talk?

A great way to make your kids’ dreams come true is to give them the gift of a talking stuffed animal. Though that may sound far-fetched, we can make that happen. We sell sound chips that can be put inside an already existing toy or that can be purchased along with our darling stuffable animals.

Whether your son or daughter wants their buddy to be able to talk like them or like the animal they are, we know that our sound chips will give your child a whole new realm for play. What a great surprise a talking friend will make!

If the selection of sound chips that we have doesn’t suit the voice of your child’s toy, we have 10 and 20 second recordable sound chips that you can customize yourself so you can really make your child’s dream come true.

Another really sweet idea is to record your baby’s heartbeat so that they will have an extra special connection to their stuffed animal as they grow. We hope that you will tell us all about that adventures that your kid and his/her buddy goes on!

Need some inspiration? Check out this video of some talking animals- they are sure to make you laugh!

Posted on February 10, 2014 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

Unique, Whimsical, and Personalized Sorority Gifts

Sororities create long-lasting friendships and global communities. Sorority sisters connect from colleges to Universities, town to town, and across the States. Pledges never forget their time as new members, and forever remember the gifts and mementos exchanged during the pledging process. Special gifts that are given to the sorority by a new chapter member, or received by the pledge from their new chapter, are keepsakes for a lifetime; and personalized gifts mean that much more to those who receive them.

Personalized gifts can be fun and whimsical, be specific to one person, or uniquely represent a whole organization. Here are a few creative and personal gift ideas that pledges can give to their new sorority chapters, or that sorority chapter presidents can offer to successful new members.

Stuffed Animals with Personalized T-shirts

Stuffed animals are loved by just about everyone, even “big girls” living the college life. How many times have we seen our dorm mates with their favorite stuffed animals, or even carried our own life-long stuffed animal friends to school with us. Many dorm rooms are decorated with stuffed animals that were once childhood buddies. Customizing a stuffed animal with personalized t-shirts with the sorority chapter name on it, is a creative and unique gift for pledges to offer to the sorority as a new chapter member. That cute furry little mascot will always be connected to that pledge, and remembered by all.

Jewelry and Teddy Bear Bling

Teddy bears are always welcomed gifts; from beauty queens to class presidents, even superstar college jocks, can be caught with their favorite one. Whether big and fluffy or small and cute, teddy bears make wonderful sorority gifts. But teddy bears with their own jewelry, accessories, and bling, are even cooler. It would be great fun for each local campus member to own identical teddy bears with matching jewelry accessories. Upon entering your dorm room, everyone will see that you are a part of a great Greek chapter tradition, by seeing your personalized sorority teddy bear on your pillow. Whimsical matching ladybug or pink flamingo necklaces for all of the local pledges, also makes a great gift.

Personalized Talking Stuffed Animals

With easy to order “record your own voice” kits, you can have a sorority craft party, making personalized stuffed animal gifts, while recording a special “thank you” from new chapter members, or a “welcome to our chapter” message for successful pledges. Wouldn’t it be fun to re-create those old childhood craft making parties, with an adult flair. Sorority sisters can order pizza, watch the latest chick flick, while creating stuffed animals for everyone. With sentimental recorded messages in them, these unique gifts will remind everyone of that significant time in their lives, for years to come.

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Posted on January 20, 2014 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

Prevent Bullying in Classrooms with Stuffable Animals

Teachers of today face a new task on top of their traditional teaching chores. In addition to activities, field trips and lesson plans, teachers now need to work in ways to prevent bullying in their classrooms. Many people think that there’s little you can do about bullies, but that’s actually very far from true. It could be difficult if a child doesn’t learn consequences at home, but it can be done. A great way to combat bullying is to bring children together in a project, like a stuffable animal party.

Here’s what you do….

First, remember that this isn’t a birthday party, so you’re not dealing with a group of kids that are friends. Some are the “in” kids, while others are the outcasts; your goal is to leave no outcasts, and nobody feeling bad at the end of it.

Then, choose one stuffed animal, because there could be fighting over the lion or the pig; just eliminate that problem before it’s even an issue.

Now, observe. Don’t let the kids know this is a bullying assignment. Some of the worst bullies are the kinds that pay attention to supervision and act innocent. Pretend to be engrossed in a book while the kids stuff their animals. Observe who breaks off into groups, and notice the instigators. Also, look for the kids who say rude things and poke fun at the others.

Finally, when the kids have all of their animals together, have a concluding discussion. At this time, use the kids’ animals to act out some of the behaviors you’ve noticed. After that, grab two students, who had nothing to do with the bullying and ask them to act out different skits. When kids see their peers being mistreated it strikes something in them. They see one of their friends being mistreated, and they become less likely to do it to others. One of the best examples of this can be seen on Jimmy Kimmel’s show. He often has celebrities come on the show, to read aloud, some of the things people say and tweet about them online. Albeit comical, you can actually see how people’s feelings get hurt with just a few words.

Some bullies are mean people, and some are misunderstood kids but they all have something in common, they don’t realize how much they hurt the other person. Find a way to stop bullying in your classroom, in whatever way that works best for you. All you have to do is find a way to show the bullies how damaging their behavior is and they are likely to cease the rude behavior.

Some of today’s kindest doctors, public figures, and scientists are yesterday’s bullies, reformed. Bullies aren’t villains; they just need a little guidance from teachers who inspire them.

Posted on December 4, 2013 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

The Zoo Party: A Fun Recap from a Fun Mom

Today’s guest post is brought to you by fun-loving, mom-of-the-year, Dana! Dana is always throwing great parties for her daughter, and she decided to share her awesome Zoo Party Recap with us! Share your thoughts with us in the comment’s section below!

I tend to go a little overboard for birthday parties for my daughter. When I say “little” I mean every thing MUST match the theme that I started preparing the day after her last birthday.
This year’s theme was “The Zoo”. I was on top of these preparations like a boy scout looking to get the next merit badge. Don’t doubt it, this was the checklist:

Venue – Local zoo party room booked well over a month in advance.

Zoo Cake – Another thing ordered well in advance with matching zoo theme.

Invitations and Thank You cards – Monkeys included for a “wild time”

Food – Fruit and Veggie trays made to look like a forest with lion and tiger. (The zoo provided pizza with the party automatically, which was a nice bonus.)

Plates and Cutlery – Animal face plates with color matching plastic ware.

Face painter – My Happy Face Painter turned the children into little animals!

Activity for kids / party favors – A menagerie of animals from The Zoo Factory.

The children in the party ranged from 3-11. The highlight of the party for everyone was stuffing The Zoo Factory animals. The younger children had to have their parents help with the stuffing but that made the activity even more fun for them. I was worried that a couple of older kids in the party might not enjoy the party favors as much but that wasn’t the case. They had just as much fun stuffing and playing with them as the younger kids.

In the end due to my obsessive planning everything turned out perfectly. I even received a compliment from one of the parents that I should become an event planner because everything was so wonderful.
In case you are wondering next year theme will be “Bubbles at the Science museum”.

Posted on September 25, 2013 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

Great Ideas for a “Stuff-Your-Own Animal” Birthday Party

Stuff-Your-Own Animal Parties

All kids love being creative and personalizing their items, their living space, and even their clothes. To present them with a new toy, that they can create to be their own, is to give “the.best.gift.EVER”.

This is a great party idea for a few other reasons too. Specifically, the kids stay busy. Not to mention, “Stuff-your-own animal” parties are easy to clean up after, and they create a memorable experience for your child and his or her friends.

First, look over our collection of stuffed animals; choose a wide array to give kids a selection. Alternatively, you could choose to go with the same animal, if you want to eliminate the possibility of an argument. When getting the supplies, be sure to grab a few extra in case of mistakes.

Set up stuffing stations for the party, and include anything extra you deem fun. For example, since kids are making their own outfits for these animals, you can include things like rhinestones, sequins, and fabric paint to let them create custom fashions on their new friends.

Work on the animals in the beginning of the party, because then you can create even more fun afterwards. One of the best ideas is to create a manhunt. The guest of honor, or the birthday child, hides his or her animal, and the guests must follow clues to find where it is hidden. This creates exciting, educational fun. The person who finds the animal wins a prize. You can give away a cool accessory as a great gift for the winner.

A great idea for snacks is to bake cookies and decorate them like the various animals you’ve stocked up. If you don’t have a hand for decorating, you can find some here.

Create a pre-determined location to place the animals during cake and ice-cream time, to keep the animals clean. Finalize the party with a fairytale about the animals, highlighting each child’s creation with a role in the story.

We promise, you’ll win parent-of-the-year award!

Carolyn Hushbeck

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Posted on August 21, 2013 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

Custom Sound Chips in Stuffed Animals Can Promote Health & Development!

Calm, relaxing noises that emanate the womb have consistently proven to be beneficial to babies in a myriad of ways. Womb sounds, coupled with a mother’s loving voice, can dramatically influence the development and well-being of a child.

Amir Lanav, a neuroscientist, was more than a little worried and curious after the premature birth of his twins. Intrigued, Lanav wondered if his wife’s voice could help improve his children’s health and spirits. With his home computer, Lanav recorded his wife telling the babies to stay strong.

This theory proved to have a decent effect on the babies’ health, so the hospital queried Lanav about his ideas and together they set up more tests. A series of studies with premature babies and older infants showed that babies who listen to their mom’s voices get better sleep and feel less anxiety, promoting a better immune system.

Speaking, reading, and singing also played a major role in how the baby improved over time. The more soft and emotional the voice is the better; naturally, singing proved to be the most effective.

To read more on this study, check out the following article: http://healthland.time.com/2012/03/13/mom-as-recording-star-can-playing-maternal-voice-and-heartbeat-sounds-benefit-premies/

A stuffed animal in itself is a thoughtful, timeless gift, perfect for any new or expecting mother. Record a comforting, maternal message and place it inside of the companion. When the child heads to bed and snuggles against this toy, he or she will be welcomed by familiar sounds in a scary, unfamiliar word. These precious gifts are not only adorable, but also they could play a huge role in improving your child’s mood, development, behavior, and health.

Carolyn Hushbeck

Posted on January 18, 2013 by The Zoo Factory — Leave a comment

Why we love stuffed animals

From the dawn of child’s play, there has been one toy that has stood out among the rest: the stuffed animal. Kids everywhere go nuts for these soft, stuffed creatures.

In a study published by Time Magazine, which listed the most popular toys by decade throughout the past century, the one toy that appeared in almost every decade was – you guess it – a stuffed animal. The 1980s saw a sustained interest in stuffed animals, from regular stuffable animals and trademarked television show animals to wild animals and domestic pets. There is no doubt about it; children love stuffed animals.

But what is it about stuffed animals that is so appealing? Is it their likeness to real animals that makes us to cuddle them? Is it our instilled sense of nurturing that tells us we should cradle our stuffed animals, treat them as if they were real and care for them like no other?

Perhaps it’s because real pets – or wild animals brought down to stuffed animal proportions – would never stand for constant petting, cradling, poking, prodding and toting. By caring for our stuffed animals, we get a chance to know what it would be like to care for a rhino, lion, buffalo , monkey or other beast.

Most children have very little control over their day-to-day matters. So when a child plays with a stuffed animal, they are often all too happy to assign roles, play boss, make up scenarios and be in charge. Through interaction with a stuffed animal – something that never talks back, or acts controlling – a child is learning how to work through life situations, find comfort, grow and develop.

For something that is typically just, stuffing and stitches, a stuffed animal might be the best thing every made. It’s a soft, comforting toy that can teach life skills and create lasting bonds and memories for children.