Where to Find High-Quality Stuffed Animals

Another glorious Saturday morning with The Stuffed Animal Review, a publication dedicated to the analysis of stuffed creature design and their larger worlds.  New to The Review?  You can read a fuller explanation of The Review’s purpose on the “Philosophy” page.  If you really want to get caught up, you can find The Review’s ten-part guide to high-quality stuffed animal design on the “Core Principles” page.

Last Saturday we discussed shopping for a stuffed creature, a process that cannot be rushed.  Today we discuss Where to Find High-Quality Stuffed Animals.

One might assume a large toy store would be the place to go to find high-quality stuffed creatures.  Toy stores, however, are not what they used to be.  Take FAO Schwarz, for example.  In The Review’s foggy memories of youth, FAO Schwarz loomed large as a stuffed creature Mecca with endless shelves of quality, soft, squishy fun. 

Since 2003 FAO Schwartz has been in and out of bankruptcy, and today the only physical store location is at Fifth Avenue and 58^th Street in Manhattan.  The Review visited this store in 2010 and was crushed to find not one brilliant or intriguing creature. There were plenty of decent, ok, stuffed animals that rated a shrug, as well as plenty of horrific designs.  None warranted The Review stamp of approval.

And forget Toys “R” Us.  The last Toys “R” Us The Review visited had a tiny, unsatisfactory stuffed creature section, tucked away at the back of the store gathering dust.

These first-hand observations reflect much larger trends. 

First, traditional toys of all sorts – puzzles, building blocks, dolls, as well as stuffed animals – are losing market share to electronic gadgets and video and computer games.  The toy industry summarizes the reason for this shift as KGOY, or Kids Getting Older Younger.  Children are introduced to glowing screens, keyboards, push-buttons, and online worlds at younger and younger ages.  Tech-savvy children outgrow traditional toys fast. 

Second, the selling of toys has undergone major shifts in the past twenty years or so.  Toy stores are losing out to retail giants such as Wal-Mart and Target.  In 1999, Wal-Mart nudged aside Toys “R” Us as number one in toy sales. 

The internet also siphons toy purchases from brick-and-mortar stores.  The Review is not pleased.  Physical contact with stuffed creatures is an absolute must.  Crucial components of a stuffed animal – squishability, softness, fur quality, and animation potential – cannot be deduced via a screen.  The only time it is acceptable to buy online: if you are familiar with a creature from real-world contact.

Given these trends, you are going to have to search far and wide in the physical world for high-quality stuffed creatures.  To assist you in your quest, next Saturday The Review unveils its Nooks and Crannies List – Surprising Places to Look for High-Quality Stuffed Creatures.