A stuffed animal describes a toyanimal stuffed with straw, beans, and other similar materials. Some stuffed animals are very old - home made cloth dolls stuffed with straw go back to at least the 1830s, perhaps much older.
Stuffed animals in the past were frequently produced by stuffing the evacuated skins of hunted animals. However, with modern technology it is now possible to produce them with synthetic materials. For this reason, plush toy may be a more appropriate name for a modern synthetic stuffed animal - A stuffed dog is a horrifying prospect!
The first commercial concern to create stuffed toys is apparently the Steiff company that was founded in the 1880 in Germany.
One of the more popular types of stuffed animal is the teddy bear. Another is the sock monkey.
A popular commercial brand of stuffed animals is Ty Beanie Babies.
