My love for Jellycats

A few years back, I wandered into a shop and spotted a little bat. I already knew a bit about Jellycats. I’d bought a pink octopus for my niece about a year earlier. But this bat was different. I picked him up. Put him down. Picked him up again. Googled him, thinking maybe I could find a cheaper one online. But at $50 AUD, the store price turned out to be the best deal. So I bought him.

It was the first time, as an adult, that I bought a soft toy just for myself to enjoy, and I was so happy. He quickly became my absolute favourite, and I slept with him in bed every single night. I decided to name him Echo. About a year after bringing Echo home, I started getting curious about what other Jellycats were out there. I loved walking into shops and seeing which ones they had in stock.

What makes Jellycats so special to me is the mix of softness, variety, and just the tiniest hint of realism in their designs. They don't look too cartoony and they don't have giant heads and eyes like a lot of other soft toys. There’s just so much variety. Different animals, foods, flowers, even mythical creatures. They come in every size imaginable. Some are so tiny they can fit in your pocket and travel with you everywhere. Others are larger than life, literally taller than a person. Some of the really big ones even get moved between different stores around the world.

Even after hours of scrolling through collectors’ sites and digging into the Internet Archive, I still find new Jellycats I’ve never seen before. It’s kind of magical. It feels like the collection has no end, and they are always releasing new designs, and colours, and sizes. My collection has grown but Echo remains my favourite, with the Smudge elephant being my other favourite. I have 3 that I adore; 1 medium and 2 tiny ones. One of my tiny elephants comes everywhere with me.

As Marge Simpsons says, "I just think they're neat."

Random Jellycat Photos

Some places stock legit Jellycats in vending machines, which seems odd since they market themselves as a luxury brand plush. The person who took this photo won this Jellycat in that machine.


A legit Jellycat claw machine!


These cats are old and I was impressed seeing this collection.


This is Cool Dude Luke and Josh. Very unique and random, even for Jellycat.

Customised and Homemade Jellycats

These dragons have been dyed orange and purple!


This dragon was dyed "lemon" coloured to match lemon bunnies, and their eyes were swapped over for something more unique.


Custom dyed dragon.


Homemade curly bunny.


Homemade bashful bunny with longer fur.


An adorable and small Jellycat inspired homemade dragon, in blue and pink.


Crochet smudge elephant. I am so impressed with the texture.


These are dyed dragons, with their eyes swapped out. Some of them glow in the dark. Very talented!


The strawberries were drawn on with Sharpies!

Jellycat Dupes and Fakes

Someone ordered a bunch of fake Jellycat dragons on Aliexpress, and this is how they look.


There's a legit white dragon on top of the fake one.


This brand is called Jamie Kay and the line is called "Snuggle Bunnies", which I found in Toy World.


These are what I believe are other brands trying to replicate the Jellycat bashful line look.


I've seen the Momoko bunnies at a lot of cheap shops, like cheap ASian stores and 2 dollar stores. The quality is not good. They aren't trying to be a dupe of Jellycat but you can see the inspiration.


Jiggle & Giggle are sold in lots of stores for babies and kids. The quality is better, and as you can see, they take inspiration from Jellycat, with the colourful and patterned feet and ears.


This is a bashful birthday bunny dupe from Alliexpress.


Tiny Smudge dupes from Alliexpress.


Little Reindeer dupe from Moon Walk Baby.


Lachlan rat. Fake on the left, and real on the right.


Sky dragon, medium size. Fake on the left, and real on the right.


Marshmallows. Dupe on the left, real on the right.


Real on the left, and very unforunate looking on the right. It looks like the bashful black and cream puppy.


Lavida brand stocks "Plush Poppy Penguin" and "Plush Med Bear Lil Ted", which is a dupe of Peanut Penguin and Bartholomew Bear. The dupes look impressive but who knows how they actually feel, and hold up in person.

Black and cream dog
Penguin
Bart Bear

Websites I like to keep track of

Random Jellycat facts