The world’s largest rodent is having a big moment.
The capybara – a South American semi-aquatic relative of the guinea pig – is the latest in a long line of animals to get the star treatment during the holiday shopping season.
Shoppers can find capybara slippers, handbags, bathrobes and bath bombs. There are cuddly plush capybaras and stretchy or squishy capybaras. Tiny capybaras crawl into bedding, T-shirts, phone cases, mugs, key chains, crochet patterns and almost any other type of traditional gift item. Last year it was axolotl which has taken pride of place on many products, and the endangered amphibian remains popular. Owls, hedgehogs, foxes and sloths have also recently been in the spotlight.
Fashionable animals and animal-like creatures are not a new retail phenomenon; think of the talking Teddy Ruxpin toys of the 1980s or the Furby and Beanie Babies a decade later. But industry experts say social media amplifies which animals are hot — or not.
© Liudmyla Konkina @LudovicToys on Etsy; The Ravelry story of Liudmyla Konkina
“It’s really launching on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms that allows these characters or animals to blow up like crazy,” said Richard Derr, franchise owner of Learning Express Toys in Lake Zurich , in Illinois, for almost 30 years. and is also regional director of the specialist toy store chain.
Social media also accelerates the cycle. Must-have animals may only last a season before something new captures customers’ imaginations.
“It’s really important to continue to feed this beast,” said Juli Lennett, vice president and toy industry advisor at market research firm Circana. “If you’re an influencer, you’re not going to talk about last year’s stuff.”
Skyrocketing sales of plush toys — fueled by a need for comfort during the pandemic — are also increasing demand for new and interesting varieties, Lennett said. In the first nine months of this year, sales of stuffed animals increased 115% compared to the same period of 2019, she said. Overall toy sales increased 38% during this period.
/Getty Images
Consumers increasingly seek out exotic species that they see in online videos, games and movies. Highland cows, red pandas and axolotls, a type of salamander native to Mexico, have all appeared in popular culture. According to Google Trends, searches for axolotls pulled in June 2021 after Minecraft added them to its game.
“No one knew what an axolotl was in 2020,” Derr said. “Now everyone knows about axolotls.”
Cassandra Clayton, product designer for the Vermont Teddy Bear Company, said increased sales to adults are also fueling demand for unique — and collectible — plush toys.
“Stuffed animals are becoming an ageless object,” she said. “Especially with the rise of self-care among adults and the reliance on comfort items to help de-stress and unwind in life.”
Clayton expects the demand for unusual stuffed animals to continue to grow. Among the strangest she’s seen: a stuffed version of a water bear, a type of microorganism also known as a moss piglet or tardigrade.
“It doesn’t necessarily make you hug them, but you really see the industry starting to gravitate towards these characters,” she said. “I think it’s the next trend.”
Determining the next animal – or microorganism – is a challenge for toy makers.
“You never know exactly when they’re going to arrive and how big they’re going to be,” said Sharon Price John, president and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, a chain of nearly 500 stores that offers a growing product line. expansion. menagerie of animals and characters that customers can personalize, including capybaras and axolotls.
Jeff Roberson/AP
The St. Louis-based company monitors social media and gets ideas by talking with store employees and customers, John said. It typically takes up to a year for Build-A-Bear to introduce a new plush toy, she said, but the company can move more quickly if it spots a trend. He sometimes tests a small batch online to make sure a trend persists, John said.
Annual trade shows in Asia, Germany and elsewhere are another place to spot new trends. Punirunes — digital, interactive pets that also come in stuffed varieties — are currently popular in Japan and will likely take off in the United States, said toy store owner Derr.
“I can’t give them here. They are too new. But give it a year or two,” he said.
Companies can also start their own trends. Build-A-Bear’s Spring Green Frog, introduced in 2020, saw immediate success thanks to videos posted by customers. It remains popular, with nearly 2 million sold, John said.
John suspects people are drawn to the friendly, slow-moving capybaras because watching videos of them is very relaxing. But buyers who want one should act fast. A Build-A-Bear holiday capybara with red and green glitter on its fur — nicknamed “cookiebara” — is already sold out, she said.
___
Durbin reported from Detroit. Crawford reported from Lake Zurich, Illinois.