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A shop line nobody else has
Catalogue plush is sold in every gift shop in the country. A toy drawn from your own animal or exhibit cannot be found online for less, so it holds its price.
Custom Plush for Zoos, Museums and Aquariums
The plush in your shop should be your otter, your mammoth, your penguin — not the same bear a visitor can buy at the motorway services. An exclusive soft toy is the souvenir people choose because it could only come from you.
What zoos, museums and aquariums come to us for
Animals that look like themselves
Keepers and curators notice a wrong ear shape or a wrong number of legs. We work from your reference photos and let your specialist sign off the sample.
A mascot for the whole site
The same character on signage, in the education programme, as a costume at open days and as the toy at the till.
Merchandise that pays for itself
Shop revenue funds conservation and collections. A good plush line is one of the few souvenirs with a margin worth defending.
A typical shop line
- Two or three species or exhibit characters designed from your reference material
- Plush in a till size and a larger gift size, EN71 tested for children of all ages
- Sewn-in label and swing tag with your logo, barcode and care text
- Optional story card: the real animal or object behind the toy
- Keyrings, magnets and pin badges in the same character style
- A costume of the lead character for open days and school visits
What a character for this field can look like
Studio visualisations, not delivered projects. They show the construction and finish we work to; your character is designed from your brief, not picked from this page.
What we need from you
- Photos and references of the animal or object, including details visitors know well
- The name of the person who signs off for anatomical or historical accuracy
- Your shop’s price points and the size the toy must fit on the shelf
- Barcode format and labelling your shop system expects
- Sustainability requirements: recycled filling, packaging, plastic-free tags
- The season or opening the first delivery has to arrive for
Planning the budget and the date
The minimum run is 500 pieces per design. Most shops start with one hero animal in one size, see how it sells through a summer, then add species and sizes. That keeps stock risk low and gives you sell-through numbers before the bigger order.
Work backwards from the season: about five weeks for design and an approved sample, then eight to twelve weeks of production and delivery. For an Easter or early-summer opening, start in autumn.
If your shop is run by a concession partner, we can quote and invoice them directly while you approve the design.
Questions zoos and museums ask
Can you make an exclusive plush toy of our own animal for the zoo shop?
Yes. MascotiQ designs the toy from your reference photos, sews a sample and lets your keeper or curator approve it before production. The design belongs to your institution, so the toy cannot be bought anywhere except your shop.
What is the minimum order for museum or zoo shop plush?
The minimum run is 500 pieces per design. Many shops start with one character in one size, measure sell-through over a season, then extend the line with more species, sizes, keyrings and magnets.
Are the plush toys safe for small children?
Every MascotiQ plush run is tested to EN71 and carries CE marking, so it can be sold to children of all ages. Eyes can be embroidered instead of fitted where the youngest visitors are the main buyers.
How long does it take to get a new shop plush line?
Allow about five weeks for design and an approved sample, then eight to twelve weeks of production and delivery. For a spring or summer season, the project should start the autumn before.
Zoos, museums and aquariums
