Plush toys (or soft toys, as they are known in some countries) is today one of the most popular toy categories and are enjoyed by both children and adults.
They are divided in two major categories: children toys and adult toys.
Adult plush toys come in 2 groups.
One group is toys that imply sexual references.
These are usually sold in adult or novelty shops.
The second group is plush toys that are collectible by adults or are used as a gift or expression of one's feelings.
Both adult soft toy groups are often humorous and often take form of animals or people with distorted body parts.
Children plush animal toys, on the other hand, are soft toys designed specifically for children of all ages.
These soft toys often are made similar to a real life animal or creature.
The plush animals are usually made in warm natural tones, while the soft toys that represent a creature that does not exist in real life is often designed in bright tones.
The overall design of the toy usually resembles some character such as a cartoon character or an animal.
Thanks to latest technologies the similarity of the plush animal toy to the represented animal is often very close.
This is especially true when the toy animal is made by a well known toy company such as Russ or Steiff.
These plush toy animals look very realistic and are adorable.
Steiff was the first commercial manufacturer of soft toys.
As Steiff toys are quite expensive, many manufacturers of plush toys go offshore (mostly to China).
This allows make them more affordable and is usually reflected in the prices the customers pay.
Quality of offshore manufacture of soft toys in case of large well known manufacturers such as Russ is very high.
Often plush toy designs are discontinued and are out of production, which increases their chance to become collectible toys.
The cost of collectible plush toys can soar high.
The most convenient way to shop for plush toy animals is online.
This allows to avoid the clutter of a toy department store and often reduce the money spent.