Stuffed camel finger puppet

Our new stuffed camel is not only a cute finger puppet, but he stands up on his own, too. He's also one of the softest stuffed animals you could possibly want! What a face! This camel has character!

Our Stuffed Camel Finger Puppet

This playful stuffed camel finger puppet is made of extremely soft plush material. This replica has a detailed face and body with a loving expression. It is 7 inches long and 7 inches tall. Your finger goes inside but doesn't move any parts. You basically march it along. This plush camel finger puppet stands up on its own and could work as a Christmas decoration or be placed around a manger. It makes for a nice pet, fits into a stuffed animal collection or serves as a great cuddly friend and is fun for all kinds of games. Check out our other camel toys and gifts.

About Camels

The Bactrian (two-humped) camel lives in the cold, mountain and hight desert climates of Central Asia. It was domesticated over 4,500 years ago in an area called Bactria, near present-day Iran. The Bactrian's humps are filled with fat, not water, which is used to nourish the camel when there is little food or water. The Bactrian camel can go without water for long periods, drinking and storing up to 18 gallons (68 liters) at a time. The Bactrian camel can grow up to 11 feet long and 7 feet tall (at the shoulder) and weight up to 2,000 pounds. Although there are over 2 million domesticated Bactrian camels, the wild Bactrian camel is one of the world's rarest mammals. It is considered critically endangered with fewer than 1,000 remaining in the wild.

Eagle owl stuffed animal (stuffed bird) - very soft and lifelike

Our stuffed toy eagle owl is both cuddly-soft and lifelike. We hope you'll like it as much as we do!

Our Stufffed Eagle Owl

This imaginative-looking stuffed eagle owl is made of extremely soft plush material. This replica has a detailed face and body. The eagle owl is 8 inches tall. This plush eagle owl makes for a nice pet, fits into a stuffed animal collection or serves as a great cudddly friend. Check out our other owl toys and gifts.

About Eagle Owls

The eagle owl (Bubo bubo) is a species of horned owl and is considered the largest owl. It is found in Europe and Asia and has a deep resonant call like ooh-hoo. It has an enormous wingspan sometimes stretching up to five feet. Like most owls it feeds on small rodents but is capable of snatching small mammals in its sharp talons. It is easily recognizable by its size, and brilliant orange eyes.

Pteranodon hand puppet for children (extinct flying reptile) - colorful and fun!

We hope you like our new flying reptile puppet! While the pteranodon is not technically a dinosaur, many people think of it that way. Our puppet is sized for smaller hands, so it's perfect for kids! It's also priced well for today's economy :) And it's extremely colorful. What fun you can have making this guy say anything you want it to!

Our Stuffed Pteranadon Hand Puppet

This playful stuffed pteranadon hand puppet is made of extremely soft plush material. This replica has a detailed face and body with an imaginative-looking expression. The head is small, about the size of a child's hand. It is a tight fit to get your hand in to manipulate the head and beak, but doable. The hand puppet is 14 1/2 inches from beak to horn.. This plush pteranadon hand puppet makes for a nice pet, fits into a stuffed animal collection or serves as a great cuddly friend and is fun for all kinds of games. Check out our other dinosoaur toys and gifts.

About Pteranadons

The pteranadon is not really a dinosaur but a winged reptile. "Pteranodon" means "winged and toothless." These flying reptiles were closely related to dinosaurs, but were technically not included in the same group. They lived during the late Cretaceous Period - one of the great ages of dinosaurs. Pteranodon stood about 6 feet tall (and some scientists believe they did stand upright), and had a wingspan of 25 to 33 feet - longer than any known bird. They had short tails, as you can see on our plastic pteranodon replica. Most pteranodon fossils have been found in Kansas and in England. Pteranodons fed primarily on fish, and may have scooped them out of the water the way a modern-day pelican feeds.

Adorable stuffed leopard cub by Hansa - a very special gift

This stuffed plush leopard cub by Hansa is in stock and ready to ship as of this posting on November 21. We have only one left, so if this cat would make the perfect companion for someone you love, please order it today! We ship around the world. Once this cub is gone, we may not be able to get more. Hansa animals are made in limited quantities, and the supply is often spoken for before the ship lands in the US. These remarkably lifelike animals are hand made in the Philippines with finishing touches unique to each style, such as fabrics made in small quantities just for this design. Our leopard cub is quite soft and is very anxious to become someone's best friend! Check it out on our web site. . . .

Our leopard cub by Hansa is soft and adorable. It's eyes have a bright, gold shine to them, and its fur is cuddly and cozy. The nose is made of pink plastic. The leopard cub has large feet for its size, just like a real baby leopard. It measures 16 inches long from its front paws to the base of its tail. The tail, which usually curls around the cub, adds another 10 inches if you pull it out straight.

This stuffed animal has all the quality and individuality you expect with one of Hansa's creations. Hansa is known for its "close to nature" replicas of the world's favorite animals. Check out our other leopard toys and gifts.

Leopards are in the family Felidae. They have been found throughout Africa and Asia. They are large cats, feeding on both large and small mammals as well as birds and reptiles. Leopards give birth to two to three cubs after a gestation period of 90 to 112 days. The range of a leopard's hearing is twice that of a human's, and in dim light its sight is six times better than ours.

Super-soft stuffed alligator now online - very, very cuddly for kids!

This is the same stuffed alligator plush toy I posted about yesterday, but today it's online where it can be ordered with the click of a button! Come take a look and maybe take one home for child who likes snuggly toys. The alligator is EXTREMELY soft, and the teeth are made by stitching into the fur, so there is no way they can scratch. This toy alligator from Wild Republic meets all US safety standards, and is surface-washable.

Four new friends: Stuffed alligator, stuffed eagle owl, stuffed naked mole rat, stuffed pteranodon hand puppet

These four toy animals are so new in our store, you'll have to call to order them until we complete putting them online. You can reach us toll free at:

1-888-325-3179 - Call for price

Stuffed Alligator

All four of our new stuffed plush animals are non-toxic and surface-washable, made of new materials and conforming to the new standards of toy safety in the US. The stuffed alligator at the top of the page is super-soft and cuddly. It measures 14 1/2 inches from nose to tail.

Stuffed Eagle Owl

The stuffed eagle owl above is also very cute and cuddly, standing 8 inches tall. Among other things, the eagle owl preys on meerkats - but ours promises to be friendly!

Stuffed Naked Mole Rat

We've had requests for stuffed naked mole rat toys for quite some time, and we finally got them in this week! Some say our toy mole rat is cuter than the real thing, but we know that everyone has his or her own idea of what's cute and what isn't. We present you with our new naked mole rat, and let you decide!

Here you can see the critter's soft nose, its felt teeth, and its bright, shiny eye. So what could be cuter than this?

Stuffed Pteranodon Hand Puppet

Above you see our Pteranodon hand puppet, made just for child-size hands. With extra-soft plush fur around the neck (where your hand goes inside the puppet), this colorful flying reptile is prepared to say anything you want it to!

. . . and there's more . . .

This is just the tip of the iceberg of our new shipment of wonderfully approachable and usually lifelike stuffed animals. We'll be posting them for you to see as the next few days go by. If you want to hear the whole list, give us a call at (503) 325-3179, or toll-free at (888) 325-3179. Or just stay tuned. We'll be putting them on display on our blog as we get them photographed!

Unusual pals: Stuffed manatee and stuffed extinct squid Tusoteuthis - NOW, WHAT'S YOUR STORY?

You just never know. Our very popular 30-inch stuffed manatee has befriended one of the newcomers under its sheltering paddle, so to speak. Tusoteuthis (an extinct giant squid) seems very happy in the company of its new buddy. Tusoteuthis may well look a little concerned. We had already announced that he was AGAIN becoming extinct (out of manufacture), when we discovered that there had only been a complication causing a confusion between the manufacturer and the importer, and indeed Tusoteuthis has a brand new lease on life.

In the background, you can see the green felt "spines" on our Folkmanis iguana stuffed hand puppet, and to the right at the bottom, another popular creature is trying to get into the picture - our purple latex Soft Play octopus with the posable tentacles. Not quick enough, Octopus. Better luck next time!

DO YOU OR YOUR KIDS LIKE TO TELL STORIES?

If you'll send us your stories based on the animals in our online Animal Store, we'll post the stories along with pictures of the animals. We'll be happy to give you credit for your story or you can choose to be anonymous or use only your first name. If you'd like to name the animal, we'd like that, too! You can name ANY of our collection of animals and write something about them. If they end up with two or three names because several people wrote about them, that's OK, too. Every once in awhile we name an animal ourselves, and the name sticks with it and ends up on the order page for that animal. Maybe you'll be the one with the name that fits the animal perfectly! The stories can be written by kids of any age or with an adult's help. They don't need to be long or complicated. Maybe you just want to tell us what one of the animals is thinking, or whether they are friends with some other animal. Or maybe they took a trip together, or. . . . It's up to you! If it seems like we need to take a new picture of the animal to fit the story as I've done on this post, we may be able to do that!

So, what are you thinking?

Wonderful bald eagles - from our collection to yours!

This plastic American bald eagle replic is only the latest in a wonderful series of bald eagles we sell at Tapir and Friends Animal Store. Check them out! We have plastic eagle replicas, bald eagle jewelry, and even a stuffed bald eagle. Consider them collectibles, toys, or gifts. . . .

You can feel confident purchasing via our secure shopping cart and secure online checkout system. We ship within one or two days of receiving your order, and it should only take two to four days for you to receive it after you place the order!

Sabertooth Cat Puzzle and Saber-toothed Cat Plastic Replica

Saber tooth cats are among the most recognized and popular of all the Ice Age animals. Fearsome predators, these cats roamed the earth thousands of years ago, using their enormous canine teeth to defend themselves in that competitive environment and to bring down their Ice Age prey. We have sabertooth cats in our store in two different styles: a challenging 3-D plastic puzzle seen above, and a lifelike model or replica (no assembly needed) shown below.

The more scientifically-accurate name for the sabertooth is the smilodon. The smilodon, or saber tooth cat (sometimes also called saber-tooth tiger), roamed parts of North and South America around the time of the last Ice Age. The most familiar is Smilodon fatalis, of which many remains have been found in the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits. It became extinct about 11,000 years ago.

Today the smilodon is extinct, and we can only imaging how one really looked, the color and markings of its coat, the way it moved, or what it would be like to look into its eyes the way we can with big cats in zoos today.

Your purchase helps preserve living animals (specifically tapirs and other animals in their habitat areas). Conservation efforts attempt to give them a chance to avoid the onrush of extinction that we are seeing all around us today. It's frightening to think that so many of the animals we know and love may not last another generation or a human lifetime. Many that the adults of today grew up with, or that our parents grew up with, are already gone or are perilously close to extinction.

On the other hand, conservation can work! In some cases, extreme conservation efforts have been able to increase the numbers. One success story is the American bison. A success story in the making is that of the California condor. Many familiar animals that we know and love are facing challenges that could wipe them from the earth - for instance, polar bears, walruses, and even tigers. The more we learn about the animals, the more we care, the more we can do to help preserve the amazing animals that still roam the Earth.

Happy Customer Report: Soon this plastic piranha will have a new home!

Our turnaround is so fast you barely have a chance to blink. We usually ship your order the day we get it, and we ship by US Priority Mail in the US, which means that it takes no longer to reach the East Coast than it does to reach nearby cities and towns (we're located at the far northwest of Oregon).

If the box leaves our store for the 5 p.m. mail, it reaches Portland, Oregon, sometime that night. In many cases, it's on the plane that night. Of course, we don't see the package to follow its route, but typically it will be delivered as quickly to Boston as to Los Angeles, even though one is a continent away. If you live in a peripheral, or small zip code area, it may add a day to the delivery time on your end. That's why we say that your order is "usually delivered in two to four days" from the time you place it with us. And all this is for a minimum shipping and handling fee of $6.50 on an order of $20.00 or less. A larger order will cost a little more. We use the Post Office rather than UPS, because ground shipping may take a week to travel across the country. We like quick service, and so you do you!

Kevin needed this plastic piranha and some other items for his child's school project. After some discussion with Sue (our Customer Expert) about possible deliver dates, he wrote:

November 19, 2009

Just finished up the order, Sue.

Thanks again for your quick replies and speedy service. Now it's up to our friends at the USPS.

Kevin

You can read comments from other happy customers here.

Beautiful hand-painted tiger jewelry (pin)

This beautiful hand-made, hand-painted tiger jewelry was crafted in Washington state, USA. At $29.00, it makes a completely unique gift or keepsake priced that could fit your pocketbook in this difficult economy.

Stuffed Ice Age Woolly Mammoth - yours to cuddle!

STUFFED WOOLLY MAMMOTH

Our popular Fiesta Ice Age Woolly Mammoth stuffed animal makes a great gift any time. It's VERY affordably priced for today's economy, and it's attractive and compelling for any kid to snuggle with - young or old.

Our adorable and affectionate stuffed woolly mammoth is 16 inches long from trunk to tail and stands 10 1/2 inches tall. It has a soft brown furry body, red-brown mane on the top his head, long gentle white tusks and red-brown trunk. It is sewn of soft fabric. This woolly mammoth has a kind and gentle expression. It makes for a thoughtful child's toy or fits nicely in a stuffed animal collection or collection of extinct animals. See our other cool mammoth toys and gifts.

The woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) first roamed the earth 150,000 years ago. The mammoth migrated from Africa northward into Europe, east through the Steppes of Asia, and then into the Arctic. During the Pleistocene Era (Ice Age), when temperatures were so much colder, the woolly mammoth developed thick shaggy hair, special glands to secrete fat to insulate the skin from the cold, and smaller ears and special teeth to grind tundra. The woolly mammoth developed huge curved tusks up to 15 feet long to shovel snow in order to reach tundra and grass below. The woolly mammoth is the most common mammal fossil. Some have been found in Siberia almost completely intact including tissue remnants. It is breathtaking to see the mammoth's skeleton on display in the museum.

Cat and other animal Peeper Keeper eyeglass holders, many still available!

We hate to make this kind of announcement, but our fantastically popular animal eyeglass holders have been discontinued by the manufacturer. We expect that most (if not all) of the styles will be gone by Christmas. As of today, there are still quite a few left in the styles that are still available. CHECK OUT OUR PEEPER PAGE and order now in our Secure Shopping Cart or give as a call toll free at 1-888-325-3179.

Made of carved and painted wood, this functional sculpture is about 6 1/4 inches tall to the tips of it's ears.

What a classy way to keep your reading or sunglasses from getting lost on your coffee table, bedside table, hall shelf, etc. You can also use this painted wood sculpture to display business cards with pizazz and pride! Try holding recipe cards in the kitchen, too.

"Peeper Keepers" are fun and practical, and come in over 40 different animal types. See our other Peeper Keeper animals here. If we don't have an animal you're looking for on our web site, please ask! Be sure to look over our other house cat toys and gifts.

Capybara jewelry

Did you know that you can get capybara earrings, pins, and pendants in NINE different colors? And that's only the color of the capy's body. The bead color can be mixed or matched to an almost unlimited degree. Artist and animal-lover Corinna Bechko makes this capybara and a distinctly unique array of other animals out of light-weight aluminum, and she has a bead collection you won't believe. Just choose the colors and the result will be a stunning piece of original art you will not find anywhere else.

Even though our aluminum jewelry is quite affordable, jewelry prices can drive up the shipping cost if you buy in small "herds." Value-based shipping works great for most things, but in order to accommodate the light weight of jewelry and to make it easier on your pocketbook, you'll find a new option in our secure shopping cart: if your order contains only jewelry, click on the "Jewelry Only" shipping rate, and we'll ship as many pieces as you want anywhere in the world for $5.00 per address. Is that a deal?

Come check out our delightful aluminum animal jewelry art by Corinna!

Red Ant Stuffed Animal Toy

Isn't this stuffed red ant attractive? It also comes in black. These affordably-priced unusual stuffed animals can be found at Tapir and Friends Animal Store. Come on over and check them out!

This engaging, realistic-looking stuffed red ant is soft and cuddly. Its body is made of soft plush fabric and shows well-defined segments. The body is red and has large plastic eyes and fine antenna. Our red ant replica has a kindly expression and promises not to bite. This stuffed red ant makes a nice pet, gift, novelty, presentation piece for a school project,or gag gift. See our other ant toys and gifts.

There are over 200 species of red ants, some small and some large. The most common red ant is known as the fire ant. It is a biting ant which grabs on and then stings with a poison called Solenposin. Fire ants live in mounds in moist open area and spend time eating plant material and occasionally a cricket. The colony consists usually of one or more queens, surrounded by drones and workers. The queen can produce up to 1500 eggs in one day.

Your purchase from Tapir and Friends helps us fund wildlife conservation in the field!

Animal 3-D Plastic Puzzles Discontinued - Get Them While They Last!

We hate to see these wonderful animal puzzles disappearing, but that is a fact. They are no longer available to us, having been discontinued by the importer. We've been looking for a new source, but have not found one. These puzzles have been among our top sellers, and they are also wonderful replicas of the real animal. Just the other day we sold out of our zebra puzzle and had to take it offline.

We still have a great selection of puzzles, but almost every day we sell out of one more animal. For instance, today we have only six left of the octopus you see above. If you're looking to find small, affordable, interesting and unique gifts for Christmas, Hanukkah, or any other holiday event, do check out our puzzles before the selection is gone. As of this post, we still have some puzzles left in the general categories of:

Dinosarus
Whale
Coral Reef Animals
Wild (Jungle) Animals
Polar Animals
Endangered Animals
Extinct Animals
Desert Animals
Reptiles

The details on this 3-D puzzle animal toy add another dimension, so you could say it is 4-D (3-D + details)! It is certainly one of the more detailed we have seen, making it an interesting replica as well as a fun toy for adults and children above the age of 3. This colorful octopus measures 4 1/2 inches across its tentacles and is 3 1/2 inches tall. It comes unassembled in a beautiful plastic ice cube. The pieces are cleverly fitted, flexible, and not too difficult to assemble. When completed, this striking octopus sits nicely straight up for display with your favorite treasures. To see our entire inventory of puzzle animals, go to our 3-D Puzzle Animals page. Be sure to look over our other plastic octopus toys and gifts.

Soft Play Hedgehog Toy

Do you know anyone who loves hedgehogs? Come take a look at our adorable ("he's got personality") squishable, non-breakable foam-filled realistic latex hedgehog toy. Not only is he durable when you play with him, but he's not likely to break or damage anything (or any person) when he's tossed across the room.

Our Soft Play Latex Hedgehog

This realistic-looking latex-coated soft play hedgehog is a terrific replica. It is 9 1/2 inches long a nd 4 inches tall.tail. Our hedgehog replica has a hard plastic coating and a soft inner body possibly made of foam. It is an excellent toy for children because it is light weight and durable. It serves as an educational toy for a science project or as a gag or unusual gift. Check out our other hedgehog toys and gifts.

About Hedgehogs

The hedgehog is a small spiny nocturnal mammal which feeds primarily on insects. It gets its name because it is found frequently among hedgerows and has a small pig-like snout. The hedgehog has quills like a porcupine, except that they neither sting nor come free from the hedgehog's body. The hedgehog has actually few predators. Occasionally the hedghog is annoyed by larger mammals such as foxes but, in response, roll up into a little ball to protect its soft belly. The hedgehog controls insect populations, but is vulnerable to agricultural and household pesticides. It lives for about seven years and produces litters of 3-4 at least twice a year. Like many nocturnal creatures, the hedgehog is often run over by cars during the night.

Our very popular plastic MARYLAND BLUE CRAB and RED LOBSTER are back!

Come on over and celebrate! Take a couple home to Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother, your best friend, girlfriend, boyfriend, hubby or wife, your teacher, or even your dog. Need decor for your crab cook or lobster bake? Squishy and adorable, these plastic sea animals are favorites with our customers. Click on the photos to visit each critter, or check them both out on this page of our online store.

Our blue crab and red lobster were so popular they sold right out of inventory. But the good news is . . . guess what? THEY ARE BACK!

Give someone a cute pig nose "Swine Flu" H1N1 - don't give the actual virus!

Did you imagine anyone would make a swine flu virus plush toy? Well, the ever-creative and ever-weird Giantmicrobes did just that.

Our Swine Flu (Influenza A virus H1N1) Plush Stuffed Toy

This imaginative-looking stuffed, plush swine flu (Influenza A virus H1N1) toy is soft and cuddly and is 5 1/2 inches long. It is adorned with red plastic eyes and embroidered nostrils. The surface is washable: Simply sponge with a mixture of warm water and mild soap. Allow to air dry, then brush to restore fabric to its original fullness. (SAFETY PRECAUTION: Remove plastic hangtags and ribbons before giving to a child under 3 years of age.) This stuffed plush swine flu virus replica is a great collectible or makes for a gag gift. Check out our other worm, leech, and virus toys and gifts.

About the Swine Flu (Influenza A virus H1N1)

Swine flu is an influenza virus that usually affects pigs. However, just as the common, seasonal flu that affects humans is constantly mutating (as our immune systems and vaccines compromise weaker strains), swine flu is always trying to improve itself so that it can become more virulent, spread faster - and even associate with better company. Occasionally, a pig-headed virus such as Influenza A (H1 N1) actually succeeds and begins infecting other species - like humans. Naturally, this raises philosophical questions as to whether it is still a swine flu: since it's new, it isn't widespread in the porcine population - and anyway, once it's affecting other species, well. . . . Nevertheless, once a virus such as swine flu makes the jump to another species, the health risks in the new population are substantial. In the original host-population, some immunities generally exist against the original strain, and these immunities are often at least partially effective against new mutations. In a new host, however, there may be no natural immunity to the original strain and no partial immunity to the new strain - so the virus can spread rapidly. In addition, a virus that produces mild effects in one species may be life-threatening in another - so catastrophic health consequences can result. Fortunately, swine flu viruses are generally fragile, and in most cases basic health precautions (such as hand-washing and avoiding close contact with those who are ill) significantly reduce the chance of infection. Nevertheless, the dangers of future mutations and infections will continue to abound until, well, pigs fly.

After all, it's all about animals

Normally on this blog we show you pictures of toy animals (stuffed animals, plastic animas), animal jewelry, decor and gifts. But we believe in conservation of real, living animals, and we also believe that people want to know more about the real species, whether they are in need of conservation or not. Animals are fascinating, and for so many reasons, we love them!

To that end, we've started a project to add photos of real animals to our web site and to link between the real ones and the ones you can buy. Here's a start, and an experimental page to see how the format works for all of us:

Toy sea lions

Real sea lions

Enjoy!