Pebble the Penguin Chick Plush Toy

Pebble the Penguin Chick — the roundest one, and the easiest to get both arms round

A penguin chick has no limbs to speak of and no neck, which makes it the most straightforwardly huggable shape in the range. There's nothing to flop, nothing to catch, and nothing a baby has to work out how to hold — it's one soft round body, and it gets squeezed accordingly. At 25 x 23cm it is very nearly square, which is why it feels bigger in the arms than the measurements suggest. Filled with 100% recycled stuffing, made by Make Believe Ideas with London Zoo — a ZSL conservation zoo — and suitable from birth.

🐧 No awkward bits

Giraffes have necks, lions have manes, sloths have arms everywhere. A penguin chick has a round belly and two small flippers, which is why it's the one that gets clamped to a chest rather than dangled by a limb. For a baby still working out what to do with their arms, simple wins.

♻️ 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 — and penguins are the exhibit most small children want to go back and see twice.

👶 A fact to keep for later

Real penguin chicks are looked after in crèches — groups of chicks minded together while the adults go fishing. Which is, more or less, nursery.

What we like about it

• The simplest shape to hold — round body, no limbs to manage
• Nearly square at 25 x 23cm, so it fills a pair of arms rather than dangling from one
• 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. 25cm x 23cm
• 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 round toy clamped to a chest is a round toy dribbled down. Our honest advice: if Pebble 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 25 x 23cm — the shortest of the eight on paper, and the one that feels largest in a small pair of arms, because almost all of it is body. The others are taller and narrower: the giraffe is 32 x 9cm, the pygmy hippo 31 x 16cm, and the elephant, lion, sloth and bush baby are all about 30 x 20cm.

Which is best for a very young baby?
This one, if we had to choose. It's the shape that asks least of a baby who can't yet grip — no neck to find, no limbs to miss. The elephant's ears come a close second.

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 animals are smaller, clip to a pram and have a textured teething ring — though there's no penguin in that format.

Does it make a good gift?
It's the one that photographs best beside a newborn, for what that's worth — and it's a safer choice than it looks, because penguins are the animal almost every small child likes without being asked to.

🦁 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 — 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 — this one, 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.