A History of Soft Toys
View washing instructions at the bottom of this page.
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Ancient Rome, 300 BC
Every early civilization made toys for their children to play with. See the remains of a Roman Rag Doll age 300 BC. It is possible to determine the age of a child's toy by identifying the material it was made with.
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United States, Early 1900's
"Teddy" Roosevelt was on a bear hunt. Everyone in the hunting party was successful except Mr. President. His hunting party captured a bear for the President to shoot so he would have a trophy from the hunt. As the story goes, the President felt killing the bear under those circumstances was un-sportsman-like and they set the bear free. This story was released to the media, the American people loved it and a political cartoonist created a rendition which appeared in the funny section of the Washington Post.
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A toy maker and shop owner in Brooklyn New York saw the story and asked permission to use the President's name for marketing stuffed bears which represented the story.
Early teddy bears were stuffed with natural, harmless and basic materials such as: sawdust, wood chips, fabric scraps, wool, cotton, straw, beans and feathers. |
United States, Mid 1960's
Polyester fiber fill was introduced in the 1960's and immediately embraced as a stuffing option for toys, pillows and quilts. You could wash it and it would hold its shape forever. As a result, children growing up in the 1970's were gifted with massive amounts of polyester fiber stuffed-animals.
Polyester fiberfill is a petrochemical fiber made from oil waste that decomposes with heat and emits hazardous gasses: Vinyl Acetate and Acetic Acid. Hazardous gasses are produced when burned: carbon monoxide, organic gasses, aldehydes, alcohols, and calcium salts. |
21st Century, Earth
Climate change and global warming are common household words. Attitudes shift to new ways of thinking about global development and commerce. Sustainability is paramount. Little Barefoot Princess soft toys are made with GOTS Certified Organic Textiles. Organic Cotton Textiles are healthier for us and the environment. All of our dyes are Low Impact-Fiber Reactive, which bond with the fabric at a molecular level and do not come off. Inspired by a seventies kid's soft toy collection and created by a millennial mom with The Fiber of The Gods.
wash & care for your soft toy.
Alpaca Fiber and other natural fiber stuffed toys will not perform like Polyester fiber fill.
We may not throw them in the washer and dryer carelessly. Special care is required. For light everyday cleaning, toys may be spot cleaned with a damp cloth, oxygen whitener & disinfected with sunshine. For a deep clean, stuffing can be removed. Wash toy's body and stuffing separately.
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We use Charlies Soap on our organic textiles and we gently soak our Alpaca in vinegar water. See the link to Charlies soap & Charlies Oxygen Whitener. Place Alpaca fiber in a mesh laundry bag and gently submerge in a bath of vinegar water for thirty minutes. Do not agitate or wring the fiber. Rinse the fiber, drain excess water and spread fiber out on a towel to air dry. To increase drying time, place mesh laundry bag with Alpaca fiber on spin cycle only.
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Like any natural stuffing, well loved Alpaca stuffed toys may need to be fluffed. Remove the fiber, fluff by separating fibers and re-stuff. Family heirlooms are cherished for lifetimes.
Little Barefoot Princess keepsakes cherish all life! :)
Little Barefoot Princess keepsakes cherish all life! :)