Vintage Stuffed Animals

Finding Stuffed Animals for Your Collection

Stuffed animals are one of the most beloved toys enjoyed by all ages. It's something about the way they can comfort a crying child and bring up pleasant childhood memories for an adult. Whether you're searching for a childhood toy or replacing a kid's favorite animal, you'll find a vast selection of vintage stuffed animals for sale on eBay.

In the early 1900s, it seemed everyone was falling in love with the classic teddy bear. And as characters started popping up in advertisements, books, and cartoons, the snuggly toys became a preferred choice. Here's a look at a few treasured collections through the years.

• 1950s stuffed animals - Look for rubber-faced plushies from Rushton. The collection includes bunnies, skunks, and monkeys.
• 1960s vintage stuffed animals - Search for 9-inch dinosaurs from Knickerbocker and puppies from Ka-Klar.
• 1970s antique stuffed animals - Explore rare collections of bulldogs, cows, goats, and horses.
• 1980s collectible stuffed animals - Filter your choices to find Disney characters like Mickey, Minnie, Dumbo, and Bambi.
• 1990s stuffed animals - Hunt for Mufasa, Simba, Pumbaa, and Baloo to add to your collection or give as a gift.

Like any collectible item, the rarer the piece, the higher the price. The following factors help determine the value of vintage stuffed animals.

• Condition – Stuffed toys are ranked by their condition: mint, excellent, and good. Discoloration, stains, and damaged tags and ribbons reduce the plush animal’s value.
• Packaging - The price increases considerably for animals kept in their original box.
• Tags - Preserved tags still attached can increase the toy's value.

You will come across well-known brands like Hasbro and Mattel as well as little known brands like the Commonwealth and Applause. A brief history of these brands will give you an idea of how these vintage stuffed animals value.

• Hasbro is the second-largest toymaker in the world. The company started making softies in 1984, earned licenses for the Cabbage Patch Kids from 1988 to 1994, and formed a strategic alliance with the Sesame Street Workshop in 2009.
• In 1917, Mary Rushton from Atlanta formed the Rushton company. Before disbanding in 1983, the company made a collection of rubber-faced plushies stuffed with premium cotton, stitched eyes, embroidered noses, and felt tongues.
• The Knickerbocker Toy Company started as an educational toy manufacturer in 1850. By 1925, the company began making stuffed toys. You can spot a Knickerbocker stuffed animal by its Joy of a Toy label, which includes the company's name along with the phrase "Surface Washable."
• Dakin began in 1955 as an importer of handcrafted shotguns and later expanded its portfolio to include toys. In a shipment from Japan, the owner's son noticed velveteen stuffed animals used as packing material. After learning they were a huge hit, the company began making them at their USA Headquarters under the name Dream Pets.
• Applause (formerly known as the Walter Berry Company), specialized in plush toys and collectibles. Its portfolio includes Garfield, Fido, Snoopy, the Pink Panther, and the Cuddles Bear.