Giggles the Giraffe Plush Toy

Giggles the Giraffe — the long neck isn't decoration, it's the handle

Every soft toy a toddler loves gets carried about by one particular part, and a giraffe comes with the ideal one built in. A neck is narrow enough for a small fist to close round properly, which means Giggles gets dragged to the car, the park and the kitchen in a way a round toy simply doesn't. At 32 x 9cm he is the tallest and much the slimmest of the eight. Filled with 100% recycled stuffing, made by Make Believe Ideas with London Zoo — a ZSL conservation zoo — and suitable from birth.

🦒 Built to be dragged about

Narrow neck, soft body, nothing rigid. Nine centimetres across is well within what a small hand can close around, which is why this one gets gripped on purpose months before the chunkier animals do. From about a year, when carrying things everywhere becomes the main activity of the day, this is the shape that survives it. Before then the neck is the bit that gets gummed, which is equally fine.

♻️ 100% recycled filling — and a zoo that benefits

The stuffing is 100% recycled rather than virgin polyester, and the range was made with London Zoo. Make Believe Ideas state that every purchase supports ZSL's vital conservation work here in the UK and around the world — handy, because giraffes are usually the first animal a toddler asks to go and see.

👅 A fact to keep for later

A real giraffe's tongue is about 45cm long and almost black-purple, which is thought to stop it burning in the sun while they feed all day. It is the single best fact in this entire range.

What we like about it

• A neck that works as a handle for a toddler who carries everything
• The tallest of the eight at 32cm, and only 9cm across, so the easiest to grip
• Suitable from birth, with nothing rigid anywhere
• Filled with 100% recycled stuffing rather than virgin polyester
• Made with London Zoo, and every purchase supports ZSL's conservation work
• One of eight animals in the Zoo Crew

Specification

• Suitable from: birth
• Size: approx. 32cm x 9cm
• Filling: 100% recycled stuffing
• Care: surface wash only
• Made with: London Zoo — a ZSL conservation zoo. Every purchase supports ZSL's conservation work

❓ Frequently asked questions

Surface wash only — what does that mean in practice?
No machine and no soaking: clean the outside with a damp cloth and a little mild soap, then let it dry fully. Worth knowing before you buy, because the neck is exactly the part that gets gummed. Our honest advice: if it becomes the one they can't be without, buy a second — a spare is worth far more than it costs on the day the first one goes missing.

How big is it?
About 32 x 9cm, so taller than the rest of the range but far narrower — a long animal rather than a wide one. If you want something to fill a pair of arms instead, the penguin chick is nearly square at 25 x 23cm and the elephant, lion, sloth and bush baby are all around 30 x 20cm.

Will the neck stay up, or does it flop?
It's soft all the way through with no wire or stiffener, so it leans rather than stands. That's the right trade for a toy rated from birth — nothing in it to press against a sleeping face — but it does mean Giggles sits propped rather than upright. If you want one that sits up on its own, Honey the Pygmy Hippo is weighted with pellets in the base.

How does buying it help ZSL?
The range was created with London Zoo, and Make Believe Ideas state that every purchase supports ZSL's conservation work in the UK and abroad. We'd rather quote them than put a figure on it we can't verify.

Is it a grab-and-shake toy or a cuddle-up-to one?
A cuddle-up-to one. For something a newborn can hold and wave, the Clip & Go Giraffe is the smaller version of the same animal at 21 x 7cm, with a pram clip and a textured teething ring. The Giraffe Hand-Puppet Cloth Book is the third way to have him, and it works from day one because you do the moving.

Does it make a good gift?
One of the better ones. Giraffes are instantly recognisable, they're nobody's least favourite animal, and the long shape makes it the one most likely to actually get carried rather than left on a shelf.

🦁 Meet the rest of the Zoo Crew

Eight animals, all from birth, all with the same recycled filling. Sizes differ more than the photographs suggest, so they are listed:

• Echo the Elephant — 30 x 20cm. The classic, and the easiest ears to hold.
• Lennon the Lion — 30 x 20cm. A fluffy mane against velvety fur, so the most texture of the eight.
• Giggles the Giraffe — this one, 32 x 9cm. The tallest and slimmest, and the easiest to carry about by the neck.
• Sonny the Sloth — 30 x 20cm. The calm one, for winding down.
• Pebble the Penguin Chick — 25 x 23cm. Almost round, and the easiest to hold with both arms.
• Bouncy the Bush Baby — 30 x 20cm. The one nobody else's toddler has, and gently weighted.
• Honey the Pygmy Hippo — 31 x 16cm. Long, low and also weighted, so she sits up.
• Raffles the Red Panda — 30 x 16cm, where the tail is the whole point.

Beyond the plush, the Clip & Go animals are smaller with a pram clip and a teething ring, the hand-puppet cloth books put the animal on your hand, and Never Touch the Zoo Crew! is the touch-and-feel book the range grew out of. See it all in our Zoo Crew collection.

Our guides to when soft toys and comforters are safe to introduce and the best toys for babies under 6 months go into more detail.

❤️ From our family to yours

Carefully chosen products for babies, toddlers and parents. Browse the whole Zoo Crew range and the rest of the Make Believe Ideas collection — free UK delivery on orders over £25.