Last updated on March 5, 2020
Some may recognise the tall, squeaky giraffes that seem to always materialise after the birth of a baby. This giraffe is actually named Sophie, and is a teether for babies. It’s not just any teether, though – Sophie the Giraffe is a worldwide phenomenon (as much as a teether can be, at least), and finds its way into the mouths of countless babies around the world. As far as teethers go, Sophie attracts a premium price tag, so with other teethers a fraction of the price, why exactly is this giraffe so popular? We’ve done a bit of digging, and in this blog we explore why Sophie the Giraffe is a pal to so many babies across the globe.
The beginnings of Sophie the Giraffe
Parents looking for a teething toy for their child will invariably have been told by other parents to buy Sophie the giraffe for their child, and although this might be compelling enough in its own right, these same parents might very well be shocked when they see the cost of this giraffe. There is a reason for this, however, and it all started in France. Toy manufacturer Vulli produced the first Sophie the Giraffe on May 25, 1961. Ever since then la girafe has been a childhood staple in France, where sales of this innocuous giraffe often match or surpass annual birth rates – likely from a few being gifted to every baby after it’s born! Despite originating in France, the success story of Sophie the Giraffe actually began in the United States. Here, French expat Hélène Dumoulin-Montgomery was unable to find a Sophie after she gave birth to her daughter in California in 2000. Wanting to rectify this, Dumoulin-Montgomery got in touch with the manufacturer, Vulli, and asked for permission to import the toy into America.
How Sophie got big
Not every success story explodes from the outset, and Sophie was one such example. At first, no one wanted a Sophie, but this changed after a meeting with the owner of Elegant Child, a gift boutique store located in affluent Beverly Hills. It was after Sophie the Giraffe made its way into gift hampers for new celebrity mothers that the popularity of the French teether exploded. There was then an incident that made sales increase exponentially for the general public. When the toymaker Mattel had to recall millions of lead-tainted Chinese-made toys in 2007, the public took more notice of Sophie’s natural rubber and food-grade paint. It was this mainstream success in that swayed Vulli to invest in international marketing, and the results speak for themselves: Sophie is now available in 75 different countries! The recognition that Sophie has maintained has made it the must-get gift for any baby shower, even after all this time. At last count, 500,000 Sophie the Giraffes were sold in the US every year, and with factoring in worldwide sales, it should be clear why most parents have heard about Sophie by now.
Get a Sophie of your own!
You’ll be quick to see why Sophie’s are so popular when you first one to your own baby, or the baby of a friend of relative – unlike other teething toys, like keys, Sophie’s neck is simple to hold, her legs easy to chew, and a charming empty expression is there to always hold the attention of a baby. Plus, being in a great price range in Australia makes the Sophie an ideal baby shower gift without you having to break the bank.
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