Lennon the Lion Plush Toy

Lennon the Lion — two textures in one toy, which is why babies keep coming back to him

A fluffy mane set against velvety fur gives Lennon something the other seven don't: a clear edge where one texture stops and another starts. Small hands find that interesting far longer than a uniformly soft toy. About 30 x 20cm, filled with 100% recycled stuffing, made by Make Believe Ideas with London Zoo — a ZSL conservation zoo — and suitable from birth.

🦁 The mane is the feature

Run a baby's hand from the fur to the mane and you get a reaction. That contrast is doing the same job as an expensive sensory toy, and it costs nothing extra — it's just how a lion happens to be shaped. It's also the part that gets gripped, which is useful, because a handful of mane is easier to hold than a flat flank.

♻️ 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 — so there's a real lion at the other end of this, which matters more once your toddler starts asking where things live.

👅 A fact to keep for later

Real lions have prickly tongues for scraping meat off bones. Guaranteed to delight a four-year-old and horrify everyone else.

What we like about it

• Two textures in one toy — fluffy mane, velvety body
• A proper cuddle size at about 30 x 20cm, not a keyring animal
• 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. 30cm x 20cm
• 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 a soft toy given to a newborn gets dribbled on, and this isn't one for the laundry basket. 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 30 x 20cm, so a proper armful for a toddler — roughly a sheet of A4 with a bit to spare, and the mane makes him look larger again. The elephant, sloth and bush baby are the same size; the giraffe is taller and thinner at 32 x 9cm, and the penguin chick is the round one at 25 x 23cm.

Does the mane flatten or matt?
Longer pile does flatten where it's gripped and cuddled — that's true of any maned soft toy. A gentle brush-through with your fingers while it's damp from a surface clean lifts it back up. It will never look box-fresh once it's loved, which is rather the sign of a good one.

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 Lion is the smaller version of the same animal at 18 x 12cm, with a pram clip and a textured teething ring. The Lion Hand-Puppet Cloth Book is the third way to have him, and the one that works from day one.

Does it make a good gift?
A lion is the one most toddlers can already name and do an impression of, which makes it an easier gift than a pygmy hippo. If you want the more interesting choice, that's rather the point of Bouncy the Bush Baby.

🦁 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 — this one, 30 x 20cm. A fluffy mane against velvety fur, so the most texture of the eight.
• Giggles the Giraffe — 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.