Raffles the Red Panda Plush Toy

Raffles the Red Panda — and the tail is the whole point

A red panda is mostly tail, and on a soft toy that turns out to matter: it's a long, soft, strokeable thing that a baby can hold in one fist while the rest of the animal stays put. Of the eight in the Zoo Crew, this is the one that gets fiddled with rather than just hugged. Around 30 x 16cm, filled with 100% recycled stuffing, made by Make Believe Ideas with London Zoo — a ZSL conservation zoo — and suitable from birth.

🐾 Something to hold on to

Babies settle with something to grip and stroke, and a tail is the ideal shape for it — narrow enough for a small hand to close around, long enough to still be there when they shift position. It does the same job as the ribbon tag on a comforter, except there's a whole animal attached.

♻️ 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 a red panda is one of the better animals to have a reason to talk about.

🧣 A fact to keep for later

Real red pandas wrap that tail around themselves like a blanket when it's cold. And despite the name they aren't closely related to giant pandas at all — they're in a family of their own.

What we like about it

• A long, soft tail — the best thing in the range to hold and stroke
• A proper cuddle size at about 30 x 16cm, with the tail on top of that
• 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 16cm
• 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. It matters more on this one, because the tail is what gets held, stroked and chewed. Our honest advice: if Raffles 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 16cm, so a proper armful but narrower than the elephant or the lion — and the tail adds reach beyond that. The giraffe is the tallest of the eight at 32 x 9cm and the penguin chick the roundest at 25 x 23cm.

Will the tail flatten with all that handling?
The pile does flatten where it's gripped — true of any long-tailed soft toy. Running your fingers through it while it's still damp from a surface clean lifts it back. It won't look box-fresh once it's loved, which is generally a good sign.

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 Red Panda is the smaller version of the same animal at 19 x 12cm, with a pram clip and a textured teething ring.

Does it make a good gift?
It's the prettiest of the eight, if we're honest, and red pandas have a following among adults as much as children — which makes this one a safe bet for the parent who has opinions about the nursery.

🦁 Meet the rest of the Zoo Crew

Eight animals, all from birth, all with 100% recycled stuffing. 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 — 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 — this one, 30 x 16cm. Where the tail is the whole point.

Beyond the plush, the Clip & Go Red Panda is 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.