Mini Gerry Giraffe

Mini Gerry Giraffe — 15cm, 25g, and overalls that come off

A small giraffe with long floppy limbs, embroidered features and a pair of overalls fastened with Velcro. The fabric is a ramie and cotton blend, the filling is 100% recycled polyester fibre, and he machine washes at 30°C. 15 x 6cm and 25 grams. Suitable from birth. He is genuinely pocket-sized, which makes him one of the few soft toys that actually gets taken places rather than left on a shelf.

🎒 25 grams, which is why he ends up in your coat

He weighs about as much as a slice of bread and takes up less room than a phone. That is the whole argument for the small one: a toy you have with you at the appointment, in the supermarket queue and in the car is worth more than a better toy at home on a shelf. Our Large Gerry is the same giraffe at 40cm and 110g, which fills a pair of arms but stays in the house.

🧺 He washes properly, which decides it for a lot of people

A great many of the nicest-looking soft toys are surface clean or hand wash only, which is an awkward instruction for an object a baby holds against their face. Gerry goes in the machine at 30 degrees. Wash him on his own or with towels rather than crammed into a full load, take the overalls off first, and dry him flat and away from direct heat.

We are correcting ourselves here: this page previously said surface wash only. The label says 30 degrees, and the label is right. If you read the old version and bought something else on that basis, we are sorry.

👕 The overalls are the bit that lasts

They come off, and they go back on with Velcro rather than buttons — which means a toddler can manage them alone. That turns a soft toy into an activity: off, on, off again, with the kind of concentration you only see when a small child has decided something matters.

It is also real practice. Working out which way round a garment goes and getting it over a head is exactly the sequence they will need for their own coat, and Velcro is the forgiving version of a fastening. Fair warning: on a 15cm giraffe the overalls are small, and small fiddly clothes are harder than big ones. For the dressing stage proper, the large Gerry's are easier to handle.

🦒 Floppy limbs, which is why he gets carried

Long thin arms and legs are easy for a small hand to grab — much easier than a round body. Gerry gets picked up by a leg and dragged about, which is the highest compliment a soft toy receives.

🧶 Ramie and cotton rather than plush

The fabric is 45% ramie, 45% cotton and 10% polyester. Ramie is a bast fibre, like the flax that linen is made from, which is why Gerry has that dry, faintly grainy linen handle rather than a deep furry one. It looks considered rather than cartoonish, it does not mat, and it softens with washing rather than going flat.

If you were expecting a fluffy teddy, this is not that — and that is worth knowing before it arrives. For deep plush fur that also machine washes, our Nattou cuddly giraffe is the one.

♻️ The filling, and an honest comparison

Gerry's filling is 100% recycled post-consumer polyester fibre, with all new materials throughout. Worth knowing if recycled content is part of why you are buying: the filling in our Large Gerry is 70% recycled fibre with 30% plastic pellets added, so the mini is actually the more recycled of the two. Not a difference we would have thought to check, but it is on the labels, so you should have it.

What we like about it

• 25g and 15cm, so he comes along rather than staying home
• Machine washable at 30°C, which is unusual for a toy that looks like this
• Removable overalls on Velcro — dressing practice a toddler can manage
• Long floppy limbs, which are what a small hand grabs first
• Ramie and cotton with embroidered features, so he looks like a keepsake
• Filling is 100% recycled post-consumer polyester fibre
• Suitable from birth and still interesting at three, once the dressing starts
• No batteries, no sound, nothing to switch off

Specification

• Suitable from: birth, with adult supervision
• Size: 15 x 6cm
• Weight: 25g
• Materials: fabric 45% ramie, 45% cotton, 10% polyester. Filling 100% recycled post-consumer polyester fibre. All new materials
• Features: removable overalls with a Velcro fastening, long floppy limbs, embroidered features
• Care: machine wash at 30°C. Remove the overalls first, dry flat and away from direct heat
• Safety: UKCA and CE marked
• Brand: jumini

❓ Frequently asked questions

Can he really go in the washing machine?
Yes, at 30 degrees — that is what the label says. Take the overalls off first and dry him flat rather than on a radiator. This page used to say surface wash only, which was wrong.

Mini or Large?
Mini if you want the one that travels — 15cm and 25g goes in a pocket. Large if you want the one that fills a pair of arms and has overalls big enough for a toddler to manage easily. Same giraffe, same fabric, same 30 degree wash.

Can a baby manage the overalls?
No — that part is for a toddler, from around eighteen months to two years. For a baby the overalls are simply another texture and a thing to pull at.

Is the fabric actually linen?
Not quite, and we would rather be precise. It is 45% ramie and 45% cotton with 10% polyester. Ramie is a bast fibre in the same family as flax, so the feel and the look are linen-like, but the label does not say linen and nor will we.

Does he make any noise?
None at all. No rattle, no crinkle, no squeaker.

Can he go in the cot?
Not for unsupervised sleep. Safer sleep guidance from the Lullaby Trust and the NHS is to keep the sleep space clear of soft toys, with toys going in from around twelve months. The removable overalls are a further reason to take him out.

Is he a good gift?
A lovely small one, and he photographs well, which matters more than it should for a new-baby present. He is also easy to post.

🦒 Mini or Large?

The same giraffe in two sizes. Both have removable Velcro overalls, both are ramie and cotton with embroidered features, and both machine wash at 30°C:

• Mini Gerry — this one. 15 x 6cm and 25g. Pocket-sized, so he is the one that comes to the appointment and the supermarket. Filling 100% recycled.
• Large Gerry — 40 x 13cm and 110g. Big enough to fill a pair of arms, light enough to be carried, and the easier one for a toddler to dress. Filling 70% recycled.

🧸 If you like natural fibres and removable clothes

• Scruffy Dog — 18cm, organic cotton, removable overalls.
• ThreadBear linen dinosaurs — four of them, hand finished in linen, from 19 to 26cm.
• Jumini rag dolls — 30 to 32cm, with full outfits that come off.

Browse more cuddly toys and the rest of the jumini range, or everything suitable from birth. Our guide to what makes a baby toy genuinely eco-friendly covers fibres and fillings properly, and sustainable baby gifts by occasion is worth a look if Gerry is a present.

Safety information

Adult supervision recommended. Inspect the seams, the limbs and the Velcro fastening regularly and stop using the toy if anything is coming loose. Keep a baby's sleep space clear of soft toys, in line with Lullaby Trust and NHS safe-sleep guidance.

❤️ From our family to yours

Carefully chosen products for babies, toddlers and parents. Browse more cuddly toys and the rest of the jumini range — free UK delivery on orders over £25.