Avo-cuddle: Plush toy company Jellycat celebrates its 25th anniversary

What? An avocado, a roll of toilet paper, an aubergine wearing earmuffs and a turtle that’s had enough of your nonsense – these are just some of the squishy, mostly smiley, soft toys (also referred to as ‘plushies’) from UK-based brand Jellycat’s exhaustive catalogue of cuteness. People, including adults, can’t get enough of them. 

So.. we’re talking about cuddly toys? Yes, but not just any cuddly toys – Jellycat is basically the king of cuddly toys right now (Ty, who?). Their products – of which there are over 900 – are being sold across 77 countries and have led to a large online community of collectors. According to trends platform Glimpse, interest in the company grew 103 per cent over the past year.

Why is it in the news? Founded in London in 1999 by brothers Thomas and William Gatacre, Jellycat is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary. To mark this, it recently unveiled an interactive pop-up fish ‘n’ chip shop in London’s department store Selfridges, where patrons have their cuddlesome cods delicately wrapped with a squeeze of smiley lemon. A Jellycat café has also just opened in Shanghai, serving up lattes with feet and fluffy-bottomed teapots, while the brand’s very first pop-up – a diner that opened in New York last year – has introduced a new breakfast menu, including a stack of plush pancakes and a salmon and cream cheese bagel with little arms – presumably as a reminder: hugging only. 

What’s with the name Jellycat? The name was reportedly inspired by Thomas Gatacre’s seven-year-old son, a big fan of jelly and cats. Thus, Jellycat. 

But they’re for children, right? Wrong! While children are certainly a large part of its target audience, Dannell Gibbons, the President of Jellycat, has stated that it’s “a brand for all ages”. In fact, adults make up a huge part of its consumer base, a phenomenon that has boomed in the wake of TikTok influencers sharing their collections (#jellycat has over 140k posts). There’s even a subreddit, r/jellycatplush, with over 28k members. In general, the teenage and adult toy market has grown, representing 28.5 per cent of total toy sales, according to a study by consumer company Circana – an increase of 2.5 per cent since 2022. 

Why are adults collecting toys? Why not? Adulthood is stressful, and we’re living in an increasingly anxiety-inducing age where any joy and comfort that can be found is only a good thing. Whether driven by nostalgia, community or a desire to revert back into a state of simple playfulness, soft toys have always been a source of comfort for people. Even film director David Lynch agrees: “I love child things because there’s so much mystery when you’re a child.” 

What’s so special about Jellycat in particular? They’re very soft and squishy, like marshmallows. There’s also a huge variety of them, ranging from tiny to HUGE ones that can cost upwards of £1,000 (€1,191). The designs are incredibly inventive too, with everything from your classic teddy bear and bunny, to anthropomorphic cassette tapes, gherkins and vampiric aubergines. If it exists, there will almost certainly be a Jellycat version (eventually). 

Why would anyone want a cuddly gherkin? Firstly, there shall be no pickle slander here. Secondly, cuddly food is totally the thing right now. In an interview with The Guardian, Rachael Simpson-Jones, editor of Toy World Magazine said: “Food is a huge trend in toys at the moment, it doesn’t matter if it is plush toys, collectibles or jigsaws.” This arguably all began in the 2010s, when slogans like ‘pizza is my bae’ started appearing on t-shirts – people are passionate about their favourite foods and sometimes have a tendency to make them their personality. We also just love to turn mundane things cute and silly – even if they’re things we’d usually devour.

Why does any of this matter? Well, in the grand scheme of things, it probably doesn’t. But it does highlight a key consumer market of adults, mostly Gen-Z and Millennials, turning to soft toys to cope with life’s stressors. It also reminds us of the pervasiveness of collecting – be it little pig ornaments, model cars, novelty-shaped candles or the more socially acceptable physical media. People are especially drawn to silliness – cute little nothings that make us smile. We could all do with more of those, surely?