Pets With Stuffed Toys

Stuffed toys are made in many different forms, often resembling animals, legendary creatures, cartoon characters or inanimate objects. They are often used as comfort objects, for display or collecting and given as gifts, such as for graduation, Valentine's Day or birthdays.
History and types
The first commercial concern to create stuffed toys was the German Steiff company in 1880. Steiff used new technology developed for upholstery to make their stuffed toys. In 1903 Richard Steiff designed a soft bear that differed from earlier traditional rag dolls because it was made of plush furlike fabric. At the same time in the USA, Morris Michtom created the first teddy bear, after being inspired by a drawing of Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt with a bear cub. Sock monkeys are handmade stuffed monkeys made out of socks that first appeared during the Great Depression. Amigurumi is a Japanese type of handcrafted knitted or crocheted small stuffed toys. Amigurumi are typically made to look cute with over-sized heads and undersized extremities. Beginning in 2003, they are collected and sold on crafting websites like Etsy.