BamBam and Happy Horse: Soft Toys and Comforters from Birth
We have two new names on the shelves: BamBam and Happy Horse, sister brands from the same Dutch company. Between them they make some of the softest, most sensibly designed baby toys we have handled, and every piece we stock is suitable from birth and goes in the washing machine at 30°C.
This guide walks through the whole range: what each toy and comforter is, how babies actually use them at each stage, which ones make the best gifts, and the safety and care points worth knowing before you buy.
Who are BamBam and Happy Horse?
Both brands come from the Netherlands, and both are run by the same company. They share a lot of thinking but do slightly different jobs.
- BamBam is a baby brand from Leiden. The pieces we stock lean on organic cotton and recycled polyester, in calm colours: old pink, grey and cream.
- Happy Horse is a soft toy specialist. Its toys are fluffier and a little more characterful, with names to match: Richie the rabbit, Gizzy the giraffe and Sienna the sheep.
Across both ranges, the toys we have chosen share the same basics:
- Suitable from birth
- Embroidered eyes and faces, so there are no hard parts on the outside
- Recycled polyester filling
- Machine washable at 30°C
- CE marked, and the Happy Horse pieces are UKCA marked too
Soft toy or comforter? A quick word on the "tuttle"
You will see the Dutch word tuttle on some of these labels. It simply means a comforter.
The difference matters when you are choosing. A soft toy is filled out, with a body, arms and legs, and is something to play with, cuddle and sit on a shelf. A comforter has a soft, filled head on a flat body. It is lighter, easier for a small baby to scrunch up, and tends to become the thing they hold, stroke and rub against their cheek when they need settling.
Several of the toys below come as both, which makes for a lovely matching pair. Our guide to baby comforters covers when and how to introduce one safely.
The BamBam range
Organic Cotton Bear Soft Toy
A slim, floppy bear with a 100% organic cotton outer and long, thin arms and legs. Most teddies are built round a chunky body; this one is mostly limbs, which is the bit a baby actually grabs. It is about 35cm with the legs stretched out and just 75g, so a young baby can lift it. Choose a soft, dusty old pink or a neutral grey.
See the Organic Cotton Bear Soft Toy
Organic Cotton Bear Comforter
The same bear as a comforter: a soft bear head on a flat organic cotton muslin body, with two floppy arms, two little fabric tags and a knot at the bottom to grip. At 45g it is lighter than the soft toy and easy to scrunch. The tags are often the part babies end up fiddling with most, and there is a reason for that, which we explain in why babies go straight for the tags. Pink or grey, to match the bear.
See the Organic Cotton Bear Comforter
Recycled Giraffe Soft Toy
A small 22cm cream giraffe on four legs, with soft grey spots and a knotted tail. The long neck is the natural handle for a small fist. It is made entirely from recycled polyester, inside and out, and at 60g it slips into the changing bag without taking it over.
See the Recycled Giraffe Soft Toy
Recycled Lion Soft Toy
The giraffe's companion: a 22cm grey lion with a big, fluffy mane, floppy arms and legs, spotted ears and a long tail with a fluffy tip. The mane feels different from the smoother body, and that change of texture is exactly what a young baby explores with their hands and mouth. Also 100% recycled polyester, and 70g.
See the Recycled Lion Soft Toy
The Happy Horse range
Tiny Richie Rabbit Soft Toy
Richie is one of Happy Horse's most popular soft toys, and once you have held one you can see why. He is deeply fluffy, with long floppy ears that are smooth on the inside, long legs and big soft feet. The ears are the whole point: a baby can grab one, chew one and carry Richie about by it. This is the Tiny size, about 32cm with his ears folded down, in ivory, pink or blue.
Richie Rabbit Rattle
Richie again, this time as a small soft rattle. The bottom half of his body is a padded ring, so a young baby has something to close their fingers round long before they can hold an ordinary toy. A shake brings a gentle rattle, which is cause and effect at its simplest: move it, hear it. About 17cm and 36g, in the same ivory, pink and blue. For more on this stage, see our guide to baby rattles.
Richie Rabbit Comforter
And Richie as a comforter: his fluffy head, long ears and arms on a soft, flat body with a little knotted tail. Happy Horse designed it so a baby can hold him by the ears or the arms. At 35g it is easy to tuck in a pocket or the pram. Ivory, pink or blue, so it matches the soft toy and the rattle.
See the Richie Rabbit Comforter
Gizzy Giraffe Soft Toy
Gizzy is a fluffy cream giraffe with sage-green horns and a scattering of colourful stitched spots on his tummy, in blue, mustard, pink, green and terracotta. The spots are muted enough to stay calm, and bright enough to give a baby something to look at and, later, to point at and name. About 24cm and 59g.
See the Gizzy Giraffe Soft Toy
Gizzy Giraffe Comforter
The lightest toy in the whole range at just 28g. Gizzy's head sits on a soft, flat, fluffy body with two little arms and the same colourful spots. If you are buying for a brand-new baby, this is the one a newborn will find easiest to hold.
See the Gizzy Giraffe Comforter
Sienna Sheep Soft Toy
Sienna is a 30cm cream sheep, fluffy where a sheep should be and smooth on her face, arms and legs. Her feet are the detail everyone notices: fluffy slippers with little ears, like bunny slippers. She is the heaviest of the range at 86g, with recycled pellets in the filling that give her a little more weight in the hand.
How babies use them, stage by stage
A soft toy is one of the few things a baby will use from the first week right through to nursery. What they do with it changes a lot along the way.
Birth to 3 months: looking and holding
Newborns spend much of their time looking, and faces fascinate them, even stitched ones. Hold a toy where they can see it, move it slowly side to side, and let them feel the different textures against their hand and cheek. Light pieces such as the Gizzy and Richie comforters are easy to tuck into a small fist.
3 to 6 months: grabbing, shaking and mouthing
This is when babies start reaching on purpose. Long ears, slim legs and padded rings all give them something to grip, and everything goes straight in the mouth, which is why embroidered faces matter. The Richie Rabbit Rattle comes into its own here. Our guide to the best toys for babies under 6 months has more on this stage.
6 to 12 months: the familiar friend
Babies pass toys from hand to hand, drop them over the side of the high chair and wait for you to pick them up. Many also start to show a clear favourite, and a familiar comforter can make car journeys, visits and new places a little easier. Keep it out of the cot for now, though (more on that below).
12 months and beyond: carried everywhere
Toddlers carry their favourites by an ear, a leg or a tail. This is where floppy limbs earn their keep. They also start naming things, so Gizzy's spots and Richie's ears become something to talk about.
Why they make such good gifts
If you are buying for a new baby, a baby shower or a first Christmas, this range makes life easy.
- Suitable from birth. No checking age labels: every piece is fine for a newborn.
- Calm, neutral colours. Grey, cream and ivory suit any nursery, and they are the safe choice if you do not know whether the baby is a boy or a girl, or if they have not arrived yet.
- Matching pairs and sets. The Organic Cotton Bear comes as a soft toy and a comforter. Richie comes as a soft toy, a rattle and a comforter in matching colours. Gizzy comes as a soft toy and a comforter. Two or three together make a gift that looks thought through.
- Washable. New parents notice this. Everything here goes in the machine at 30°C.
- Made to last. A good first soft toy is often still around years later. These are well made, with stitched features rather than glued-on parts.
A tip from us: if you are giving a comforter, consider giving two of the same. Once a baby settles on a favourite, a spare means one can be in the wash without a crisis at bedtime. Parents will thank you for it.
Still stuck? Our gift card lets them choose for themselves, and our baby shower gifts guide has more ideas. For Christmas delivery dates, check our FAQs.
Safety and care: what you need to know
Keep soft toys out of the cot until about 12 months
This applies to every soft toy and comforter, not just these. Safer sleep advice in the UK is to keep the cot clear for the first year, so use soft toys and comforters for cuddles, play and settling while your baby is awake. From about 12 months, a comforter can join them at bedtime.
Some of the toys have pellets inside
The Tiny Richie Rabbit, Gizzy Giraffe Soft Toy and Sienna Sheep have recycled plastic pellets in the filling alongside the recycled polyester, and the Richie Rabbit Rattle has a small rattle inside. Everything is sealed inside the toy, and nothing hard is on the outside. As with any filled toy, check the seams now and then and put it away if one starts to come apart.
Washing
All ten pieces are machine washable at 30°C. We pop soft toys in a pillowcase or laundry bag to protect the fluff, and let them dry naturally.
Safety markings
The BamBam pieces are CE marked. The Happy Horse pieces are UKCA and CE marked. Each product page lists the details for that toy.
Which one should I choose?
- For a brand-new baby: the Gizzy Giraffe Comforter (28g) or the Richie Rabbit Comforter (35g), the lightest and easiest to hold.
- For organic cotton: the BamBam Organic Cotton Bear and its matching comforter.
- For grabbing and shaking: the Richie Rabbit Rattle.
- For the changing bag: the 22cm Recycled Giraffe or Recycled Lion.
- For maximum fluff: the Tiny Richie Rabbit.
- For something with a bit of weight to it: Sienna Sheep.
- For a gift with colour: Gizzy Giraffe, with his spotted tummy.
You can also browse the full BamBam and Happy Horse collections.
Frequently asked questions
Are BamBam and Happy Horse the same company?
Yes. They are sister brands from the same Dutch company. BamBam leans on organic cotton and recycled materials; Happy Horse specialises in fluffy soft toys.
What age are they suitable for?
Every BamBam and Happy Horse piece we stock is suitable from birth.
Can they go in the washing machine?
Yes, all of them, at 30°C.
Can a baby sleep with a soft toy or comforter?
Not until about 12 months. Until then, keep the cot clear and use them while your baby is awake.
Which are made from organic cotton?
The BamBam Organic Cotton Bear Soft Toy and Organic Cotton Bear Comforter both have a 100% organic cotton outer. The BamBam giraffe and lion are 100% recycled polyester.
Do any of them have hard eyes?
No. Every face in the range is embroidered or stitched.
What is the difference between a soft toy and a comforter?
A soft toy is filled out, with a body to cuddle. A comforter has a soft head on a flat body, so it is lighter and easier for a small baby to scrunch and hold.
❤️ From our family to yours
We chose BamBam and Happy Horse because they get the basics right: soft, washable, made with recycled and organic materials, and designed for the way babies actually play. Browse our toys suitable from birth, our baby comforters and our cuddly toys, with free UK delivery on orders over £25.