Search Results

If you find yourself wondering what to do with old soft toys that have been gathering dust in your home, look no further! Instead of tossing them away or leaving them forgotten in a storage box, consider the wonderful option of donating your old soft toys. By doing so, you can bring joy to others, contribute to a worthy cause, and promote sustainability. In this blog post, we'll explore the benefits of donating soft toys and provide you with a guide on how to go about it. Why donate soft toys? Spreading Happiness: Your old soft toys can bring comfort, companionship, and joy to others who can love them and give them new adventure. When you donate your soft toys, you can brighten someone's day and even provide a source of comfort during difficult times. Promoting Sustainability: Donating soft toys is an environmentally friendly option. Instead of adding to the landfill, you can extend the life of these items by passing them on to others who can still enjoy them. By donating your stuffed animals, you contribute to reducing waste and promoting sustainable practices. Supporting Charitable Causes: Many organisations, such as Make-A-Wish UK who we support, rely on donations to carry out their vital work. By donating your old soft toys, you directly support these charities and contribute to their initiatives, in this case bringing light and joy to critically ill children and their loved ones and leaving a profound and lasting impact on all their lives. How to donate your soft toys? You can donate softs of any type to us, as long as they don't have heavy plastic, mechanical or electronic parts (small facial features and voice boxes for example are fine). The easiest way to donate soft toys to us is by placing them in a box or bag and either using Royal Mail or a courier to send them to our HQ. Unfortunately at this time, we are unable to cover any costs of posting. If donating stuffed animals via the post doesn't suit you, you can always book a drop-off with us or sign up for roadshow collections (although we have no immediate plans for these in the near future). Make sure your box is secure, and if you are sending in a cardboard box, please include a waterproof layer (e.g. placing them in a carrier bag inside) if you are able. You are more than welcome to include a little note or bio about each toy/them as a collective! When you donate stuffed animals to us, they all visit our spa and get a thorough clean and refresh, so no need to wash them before. If you'd like to be notified when we receive your donated soft toys, just include a little note in the packaging. It sometimes takes us a little while to meet all the newbies, so please don't worry if that notification takes a little while! Once your donated soft toys have arrived and settled in at HQ, you may see them pop up on our socials before they find their forever homes on our online store or via our in-person events. Thank you for choosing to donate soft toys to Loved Before. You've helped us take one step closer to a brighter future and we can't wait to meet them! For full information and FAQs, head to our 'Donate' section

Five: Brother Bear The first in our countdown to the top 5 films you should watch with your teddy is a 2003 Disney classic about a young Inuit boy named Kenai who pursues revenge over a bear who killed his brother. As punishment for killing the bear he sought revenge after, Kenai himself becomes a bear and to return to his human form, must travel to a special mountain on the quest of a lifetime where little Kenai, with help from a bear cub, learns the true meaning of brotherhood. This is a touching story, and a great film to snuggle up with under a blanket on a Sunday afternoon. Four: Ted Be warned, this controversial 2012 film about a teddy bear that comes to life, is definitely not for children! The film follows the adventures of adult John Bennett and his childhood teddy ‘Ted’ as they get up to all sorts of nuisance after John wishes Ted to come to life as a young boy. There are ups and downs, fights and break ups and so much more. This film is great for a giggle over a takeaway with friends! Three:The Lego Movie The Lego Movie is a great examples of one of those films that really does appeal to multiple audiences. Although it is totally child-friendly and based on the well-loved plastic figurines, there’s great humour for the whole family to enjoy throughout the film. The narrative follows main character Emmet as he learns that not everyone is the same in the city he has always called home, and together with a group of crazy new friends, they defeat the evil Lord Business and his much feared weapon - the ‘Kragle’. Two: Paddington 1 & 2 This truly unique film is a fabulous take on the brilliant Paddington Bear. Seen in animation as never before, the film shows the story of a young bear who is shipped off to London by his aunt, after their home habitat becomes too dangerous to endure. Unfamiliar with human customs, and in particular the London way of life, this little bear gets up to all sorts whilst in the care of his new family, whilst not everyone around him has his best intentions at heart. A real feel good film, with a fabulous sequel to watch afterwards! One: Toy Story 1,2,3 (&4) Our top position has got to go to this absolute classic family film. The film follows the adventures of a group of toys owned by child Andy and follow both Andy and his toys as Andy grows from child to man. Woody, Buzz, Jessie and more have become household names and will always hold a special place in the hearts of many. These are the kinds of films you can watch repeatedly and unapologetically, and they somehow get better every time!

Whilst it may be easy to think that not much has fundamentally changed with teddy bears in the last one hundred years or so, we are beginning to see a real shift in the way toys, and stuffed toys in general, are being used and perceived around the world. This blog looks at the major trends which are likely to shape teddies and the ways they are designed, made and of course used over the next few years. Climate conscious With climate change and the environment having played an increasingly significant role in the media over the last few years, we are seeing companies of all types making changes to mean their businesses are becoming more ‘green’. And the toy industry is not exempt from this. We are increasingly seeing soft toys being made from more organic, sustainable materials, and less of the harmful plastics which are filling up our landfills. Big brands such as LEGO have made big moves towards more sustainable plastics by releasing figures sourced from sugar cane and by time stamping their commitments to more responsible products and packaging. Mixing toys with technology Apple is leading the way with Parker their AI teddy bear, paving the way for a generation of tech-hybrid toys. Appearing like a usual bear, with no hint of wires or batteries, this teddy helps children to practice the art of medicine by allowing in-depth examination of the toy’s bones and organs and following diagnosis of certain ailments, allows the children to treat them and make him better. Whilst the Western industry is not yet awash with toys of these kinds, it is only a matter of time before our teddies can hold a conversation, walk unaided, or who knows, maybe the virtual world will win, and we won’t play with anything physical at all! Toys like us (the real us) A hugely positive shift we are seeing in the toy industry, is the increasing ability of toys to meet the real shapes, sizes and abilities we have in the world of today. We are moving from a world where Barbie’s waist size would mean there was no room for her organs, to one in which wheelchair Barbie and hearing aid Hulk are available on the market. Largely pioneered by fantastic the #ToyLikeMe campaign, companies producing these realistic toys are changing societal attitudes for the better and we can’t wait to see where they will take this over the next few years. The rise of the experience Today, we are seeing more and more the importance not only of the products, but also the experiences which accompany them. This could be via a unique in-store experience or the increasingly popular trend of ‘unboxing’. This is quite literally how it sounds and customers will often share their unboxing experience on vlogs and social media. This means that product packaging, and its design and consideration is becoming even more pivotal in the success of a brand and we can’t wait to imagine the future of Loved Before in this context as well!

It’s vacation season again and whilst we’re all set with our 6 pairs of flip flops and inflatable flamingos, it can be a little harder to know how to care for our furrier companions whilst away. In this blog, we’ve outlined our five top tips for taking teddies on your holidays, so that your whole family can have the break you deserve. One: Keeping them safe A big worry for all loving owners can be how to keep your teddy safe and by your side whilst you are on your travels. Try to carry your companion as little as possible, new environments and lots of distractions can leave us prone to leaving things behind, and we all know how stressful that can be. Stick your teddy in a rucksack, or even leave them in your accommodation for ultimate peace of mind. For those looking to go the extra step, there are of course extra measures you can take. Our great friends at Plushiewear have come up with a fabulous product which addresses just this issue. Their PlushieID product is a tag which you can buy and attach to your friend. They’re issued with a unique ID number so that if the unimaginable happens, and your loved one is lost, your details will be available when their tag is searched, so that you can be reunited once again. Two other similar products we recommend are the Virgin Teddy Tracker and the Richmond Toy Tracking Chip (yes, the one that sells sausages!). Two: Wear and tear We all plan our vacations very differently, some like crazy adventures upon mountain tops, and others prefer to remain horizontal on a beach in the sun (yes please). Remember your furry friends don’t have skin that heals as easily as ours, and so be extra careful when deciding what adventures to include them in. Even for those of us who prefer to lounge in the sun, we must remember the damage we could be doing. Direct sunlight is one of the biggest causes of fade and texture damage for our little friends and so however tempting it may seem to have them join you read a book on the balcony, remember that they need a little more than suncream to keep them safe and protected. Try dressing them in clothes, to protect their delicate fur or keep them inside just to be sure. For when accidents do happen however, there are always teddy bear hospitals like the one run by Alice’s Bearshop who are always able to lend a hand in restoring your little one back to full health. Three: Share your adventures Not only is it great fun for you and your family to take a trip with your teddy as a companion, there are also plenty of others that would love to follow your adventures with you. Personally, we love seeing what you and your furry friends get up to on your travels, but we know we’re not alone. Social media in particular, is full of hashtags such as #teddytravels which will connect you with a world of excited followers and fellow travelers. For those of you more serious about sharing your journey than the occasional Instagram upload, there are websites such as https://www.teddytrips.com/story which upon purchase of one of their passports, will give you access to your own teddy blog and virtual community for others wanting to share their own, or follow your and your teddy’s travel story. Four: Top teddy destinations If teddies are a big part of your life, why not consider building this even more into your travel plans by considering some of the world’s top teddy destinations. In CheapFlight’s article by Brittany Dietz, Paddington Station (London), Whinnie the Pooh’s Whinnipeg (Canada) and the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory (USA) are all mentioned as some of the top toy destinations. Other suggestions include Boston, based on the filming of the movie ‘Ted’, the Teddy Bear’s Train Ride in Texas and even Seogwipo’s Teddy Bear Museum in South Korea. For more information, or inspiration on where to take your ted, check out the article for yourself at https://www.cheapflights.co.uk/news/top-10-teddy-bear-destinations-around-the-world. Top tip four: When you can’t go, but want them to have an adventure Whilst many of us are lucky enough to get away, at least once a year. There are times when a holiday is just not possible. Thanks to some imaginative travel agencies around the world, being unable to get away yourself no longer means your teddy can’t have an adventure of their own. With Unagi Travel, a Japanese Travel Agency for Stuffed Animals, you can send your loved ones off for an adventure of their own whilst the company makes sure they share lots of footage with you along the way. This is of course, maybe a better option for teddies that are a bit more experienced in the art of travel, and for owners with brave enough to put their teddy in the hands of others. Of course, none of this matters unless you remember the passports! For teddy’s, we recommend good friends https://nutmegandbinky.com/plushiestan-passports for all furry documentation needs. Do you have any travel tips? Why not do a post of your own with the hashtag #teddytraveltips. Don’t forget to tag us to make sure we see your posts!