ST. LOUIS (AP) 鈥� The is having a big moment.
鈥� a semi-aquatic relative of the guinea pig -- is the latest in a long line of 鈥渋t鈥� animals to get star treatment during the holiday shopping season.
Shoppers can find capybara slippers, purses, robes and bath bombs. There are cuddly plush capybaras and stretchy or squishy ones. Tiny capybaras wander across bedding, T-shirts, phone cases, mugs, key chains and almost any other type of traditional gift item.
Last year, it was the axolotl that took pride of place on many products, and remains popular. Owls, , foxes and sloths also had recent turns in the spotlight.
Trendy animals and animal-like creatures ; think the talking Teddy Ruxpin toys of the 1980s or Furby and a decade later. But industry experts say which animals are hot 鈥� or not.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really the launch on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms that allow these characters or animals to blow up like crazy,鈥� said Richard Derr, who has owned a Learning Express Toys franchise in Lake Zurich, Ill., for nearly 30 years and is also a regional manager for the specialty toy store chain.
Social media is also speeding up the cycle. Must-have animals may only last a season before customers鈥� imaginations.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really important to keep feeding that beast,鈥� Juli Lennett, a vice president and toy industry advisor at market research firm Circana, said. 鈥淚f you are an influencer, you鈥檙e not going to talk about last year鈥檚 stuff.鈥�
Skyrocketing plush toy sales 鈥� fueled by a during the pandemic 鈥� are also increasing the demand for new and interesting varieties, Lennett said. In the first nine months of this year, sales of plush animals were up 115% from the same period in 2019, she said. Overall toy sales rose 38% in that time.
Consumers are seeking out increasingly exotic species that they see in online videos, games and movies. Highland cows, red pandas and axolotls, a type of salamander native to Mexico, have all popped up in popular culture. According to Google Trends, searches for axolotls shot up in June 2021 after to its game.
鈥淣obody knew what an axolotl was in 2020,鈥� Derr said. 鈥淣ow, everybody knows axolotls.鈥�
Cassandra Clayton, a product designer, said rising are also fueling the demand for unique 鈥� and collectible 鈥� plush toys.
鈥淪tuffed animals are really becoming an ageless item,鈥� she said. 鈥淓specially with the boom of self-care in adults and turning towards comfort objects to help de-stress and relax in your life.鈥�
Clayton expects demand for unusual stuffed animals to continue to grow. Among the oddest she has seen: a stuffed version of , a type of microorganism also known as a moss piglet or a tardigrade.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 necessarily inspire you to cuddle with them, but you鈥檙e really seeing the industry start turning towards those characters,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 the next trend.鈥�
Figuring out the next 鈥渋t鈥� animal 鈥� or microorganism -- is a challenge for .
鈥淵ou never know exactly when they鈥檙e going to hit and how big they鈥檙e going to be,鈥� said Sharon Price John, the president and CEO of , a chain of nearly 500 stores that offers an expanding menagerie of animals and characters for customers to customize, including capybaras and axolotls.
The St. Louis-based company watches social media and gets ideas from talking to store employees and patrons, John said. It usually takes Build-A-Bear up to a year to introduce a new stuffed toy, she said, but the company can move faster if it spots a trend. It sometimes tests a small batch online to make sure a trend is sticking, John said.
Annual trade shows in Asia, Germany and elsewhere are another place to spot new trends. Punirunes 鈥� digital, interactive pets that also come in plush varieties 鈥� are big in Japan right now and will likely take off in the U.S., toy store owner Derr said.
鈥淗ere, I can鈥檛 give them away. They鈥檙e too new. But give it a year or two,鈥� he said.
Companies can kick off their own trends too. Build-A-Bear鈥檚 Spring Green Frog, introduced in 2020, was an immediate hit thanks to videos posted by customers. It remains popular, with nearly 2 million sold, John said.
John suspects people are drawn to friendly, slow-moving capybaras because watching videos of them are so relaxing. But shoppers who want one need to act fast. A Build-A-Bear holiday capybara with red and green sprinkles on its fur 鈥� dubbed a 鈥渃ookiebara鈥� 鈥� has already sold out, she said.
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Durbin reported from Detroit. Crawford reported from Lake Zurich, Ill.
Dee-ann Durbin, Teresa Crawford And Jeff Roberson, The Associated Press
