Stuffed animal versus plush

[unrequited23]

I grew up calling them stuffed animals. Somehow my kids have changed this into stuffies. Plush is used to describe certain toys, for example, we have plush velociraptors not to be confused with the smaller, plastic dinos.

 

[MamaMermaid]

I call any stuffed that is a critter (Pluto, Chip, etc.) a stuffed animal, if it's based off a human (Iron Man, Black Widow, etc.) I call it a plush.

I think this is a good distinction!

We usually just say “stuffy” for all.

 

[sk!mom]

Stuffed animal is, in my opinion, an older term and plush the newer version.

Teacher here, and I agree. They were always stuffed animals and then the past few years, I’ve noticed kids calling them “plushies.”

 

[CynBeth]

They have always been stuffed animals to me.

Same here.

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

I have always called them stuffed animals.

Students at my school often call them stuffies or loveys.

 

[LoveDaisy]

Thanks for all the replies. Interesting to see how people use the two terms.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I just always called them stuffed animals as a generic term.

 

[Rowlf the Dog]

German here, so regarding your first question I cannot answer it. But in German we always call them "Plüschtier" ("Plüsch" is from the french word peluche, "Tier" = animal) - so here is a similarity to your "plush" - or "Kuscheltier" (so like cuddly or soft animal).

As for your second question, I collect plush-racoons (have over 150) and have a display cabinet with glass-doors for them.



I once had a full glass cabinet with light, but as it was to small for my growing collection and it was very difficult to find matching cabinets, I went with a standard one form an European furniture chain (IKEA).

Some use shelves to display them, which I would not recommend because so the animals collect more dust.

 

[Mysterian]

I've always called them "stuffed" but I guess that draws confusion with the taxidermy crowd.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I forgot to answer the part about where I display them. I hung a stuffed animal hammock in the corner of my closet where the two rods meet, where it would be awkward to hang clothes anyway. I’ve got my childhood favorites in there along with some (mostly Disney) collected as an adult, but the hammock is pretty full so I think I’ve acquired about all I can. Anything else that I “must have” will have to be bought under the guise of being “for the kids.”

 

[lovesmurfs]

Stuffed. Plush (for me) is relegated to super soft and thick carpeting.

 

[slo]

I say stuffed animal and I don’t buy them for me, so I don’t have any to display. My DD19 on the other hand likes them on her bed at home, bed at school, the playroom couch (which is her TV room now) and wherever else they land - LOL!

 

[Kimkimba]

I’ve always lived close to Philly/NJ/DE. When I was growing up in the 70s and 80s they were called stuffed animals. My friend and I used to go to the mall in 5th grade on Saturdays alone and we’d always go to Fluff N Stuff. Does anyone remember that store?

Somewhere they changed to plushes or plushies. My dd(20) has autism and is a true collector. She has some of the rarest (mostly if not all gaming or tv shows). I don’t want to think how much $$$ has been spent. She goes through phases like Pokemon, Phineas & Ferb, Club Penguin, PB&J Otter, Kirby, Animal Crossing, etc.

She keeps some small ones in a curio cabinet and her favorite ones in her closet and a drawer in her room. There are a ton stored in plastic moving bags. There are also some huge ones that just hang out wherever, like Giant Kirby. If you display them out, dust will flock on them quickly.

I’m going to say my daughter would adamantly say they aren’t stuffed animals because some of them aren’t animals.