The Challenges

Plush toys present interesting challenges for designers. A plush must balance softness with accuracy of the character being modeled. Plush manufacturing offers sculpting techniques to aid in maintaining the correct look. However sculpting can cause rigid angles that poke and don’t support the goal of a good soft plush.

A plush toy resembling the character Grogu from Star Wars, made of beige fabric with large ears, big eyes, and a small robe, sitting against a light gray background.
A stuffed plush toy resembling a bird with large eyes, a beak, and big ears, attached to a chair.
A plush toy with large eyes and big ears, resembling a character from 'E.T.', stands on a black stand in a bright, minimalist space.

In this case, you can see that the tall lanky version creates a completely different look and feel than the more compact design. Which makes the better expression as a plush?

Two plush toys resembling stylized elephants with large ears, big googly eyes, and wide noses. One is sitting while the other is on a stand, both made of soft fabric in beige and brown tones.

For this designer, it was a benefit to see their designs come to life in 3D.

Black and blue chevron pattern pointing downward.