Very popular animal eyeglass holders (Peeper Keepers)

Some of our most popular and exciting animal gift shop items during the past few years have been our line of hand-painted animal eyeglass holders hand-carved out of wood. Above you see the parrot without his glasses, and below, he's sporting a pair of . . . well, you decide if he has good taste or funky, but they are certainly colorful! The eyeglass holders each come with a notch to hold your glasses. If you've had a trouble finding them, this may solve the problem!

Kids also find our Peeper Keepers a fun way to feel proud of wearing glasses. And, they are so decorative! In addition, hey . . . can you ever have too many animals in the house? We think not!

Here's a letter we received today from a customer who agrees:

Many thanks. The parrot has rave reviews from my classes and I ordered a spare in case he wandered. Now Grandpa wants one too.

~ K

Sue wrote back:

Glad to hear the peepers are such a great success! Thanks again for your new order.

But where's the rub? Aye, it is here. As popular as these items have been for us, the US importer has decided to discontinue them! Now is your chance! Some of the animal styles are still plentiful as of this posting, while others have already gone out of stock for good. We will keep looking for another source, but it may be impossible for us, as a smaller business, to find a source in China because we can't buy in the huge quantities required for production. We'll keep them in stock as long as we can get them. But for now we have to say that if you want one or more, it could be the last chance. No, this is not a ploy, we're saddened every time one of the animal styles disappears. Here is our order page for this teriffic line of carved wood animal Peeper Keepers! We have alligators, bears, dragons, and that is only the start! Come take a look!

Another very happy customer

I accidentally posted a Happy Customer letter on my personal blog. Here is the link!

~ Sheryl

Carved wood writing pens in the shape of animals

The deer pen and hummingbird pen are only two of our popular carved wood animal pens. Tapir and Friends Wildlife World specializeds in lifelike realistic animal toys and gifts. These cute pens are among the hundreds of items you can buy online on our site. Please come visit! Here is the page of carved wood animal pens. Follow the link! Thanks!

We also have tigers, elephants, moose, lions, bears, and more.

Collectible dodo birds in our store

Our lifelike stuffed dodo bird is soft and fabulous. Who wouldn't want to take him home? We ship around the world, so it's clearly a possibility!

We also have this realistic plastic dodo bird for animal replica collectors and anyone interested in extinct and unusual birds and animals. Come on over and take a look!

Olive the Stuffed Octopus is back!

Olive Octopus, one of our all-time favorite and best loved stuffed animals is back in stock! For about a month we couldn't get her for you - during the height of the Christmas season, no less! Now she's back and ready to come curling and slithering into your life. She is big, huggable, and something every octopus-lover needs in their life! She can be found in our Tapir and Friends online gift shop. Come take a look!

If you already have Olive, or if a big stuffed octopus isn't your cup of tea, we also have octopus fridge magnets, plastic octopi, and a very cool octopus plastic 3-D puzzle!

Lions, polar bears, pandas (toys and gifts)

The Discovery Channel listed the top 10 animal stories for 2008, and the top three were about Christian the Lion, giant pandas and polar bears. If you loved these stories, or love these animals, we have some nice gifts and memorabilia for you. Above is one of our selection of plastic lion gifts or collectibles. We also have lion eyeglass holders while they last, and we even have a carved wood lion writing pen!

We have giant panda puzzles and eyeglass holders (Peeper Keepers). Let our friendly panda keep your glasses where you can always find them! The glasses look cool on this panda, but they don't come with it. You can put your own glasses on its cute black snoot!

This realistic plastic polar bear is one of several polar bear items we carry in our online shop. Just about everyone is concerned about polar bears this year with melting ice. What wonderful animals these are! Students are including them in their Arctic dioramas for school projects, and they also make memorable toys and collectibles. We ship anywhere in the world, and our prices are affordable in this day and age where we're all watching our wallets! Come take a look.

Throny devil lizard 3-D puzzle

You and your kids will love this three dimensional plastic lizard puzzle! It looks a lot like a desert horned toad, but it's an entirely different species. It has approximately 20 interlocking parts, and is fun for many ages. I personally find them a lot of fun to assemble, and they're not as easy as they look unless you're under the age of about 12! The kids have a great time with them. We have quite a number of animal species available including dinosars. They can be a great indoor activity when it gets so cold outside! You can get several puzzles and have a timed contest, or put the pieces of a number of different animals all in one pile and let each person find the pieces for their own animal. When you're done, you can either put them away in their plastic case, or keep them on the shelf as an animal toy collectible replica!

Stuffed penguins, plastic penguins!

This beautiful stuffed emperor penguin is realistic and makes a wonderful gift for penguin lovers of any age. It's made by Hansa, so it has all of the quality and details you would expect from a company that makes their stuffed toys by hand and follows their own unique designs. Modeled after a real penguin, this stuffed animal is sure to bring a smile to someone's face!

We also have a surprisingly wide selection of small plastic penguins of several species, as well as a very realistic plastic penguin parent and chick replica 4 1/2 inches tall. Come take a look! We are located in Astoria, Oregon, and we ship around the world! We've been doing business online since 1996.

Stuffed mountain lion (cougar, puma) is back in stock!

Our beautiful and popular stuffed mountain lion (cougar, puma) is back in stock. We're happy to see him perched in his old spot again looking down on our showroom and surprising customers! He's also available for shipping. See our stuffed mountain lion here! At 21 inches long, he's quite huggable. He also makes a good "guard cat" for a child's room. Thanks!

Exquisite red fox hand-painted jewelry (pin)

We have ONE fox pin left, and this is the last we can get. I'm sorry the scan is kind of green. The fox is a beautifully melded orange and yellow with black feet and some white on the underside. It seems to be a color variation of the red fox, and it's absolutely beautiful. We have this pin in our online gift shop and as of today and tomorrow, it can still be shipped in time for Christmas. This can make a beautiful, memorable gift or a collector's item!

Plastic prehistoric animal toys still shipping for Christmas!

This woolly mammoth puzzle is among the interesting prehistoric animals available in our online gift shop. They are in stock as of this posting and available for shipping in time for Christmas (along with many other animals we have in 3-D puzzle format!). In the US, we ship by Priority mail, which should take only 2-4 days to arrive, as we ship the same day we get your order.

Deinosuchus may look like a crocodile or alligator, but he's one of their ancient relatives.

Andrewarchus is a very strange "cat"! In fact, he's not a cat at all - or a dog - but is more closely related to hoofed animals. Look at those jaws! He was a hoofed predator - what an interesting toy to help a child to learn about life on Earth!

This is one of the saber tooth cats in our store. He's a puzzle you our your child (grandchild, etc.) can put together and take apart again. We also have a beautiful sabertooth cat that isn't a puzzle. Come have a look!

Tree frog hand-painted pins

These tree frog pins make memorable gifts! You will be sure to receive compliments on these beautifully-colored pieces of wearable art jewelry! Come visit our frog page to order today. There is still time to have them shipped for Christmas!

Walter the Friendly Crocodile - a great stuffed toy for Christmas!

Walter the Friendly stuffed crocodile needs a home for Christmas! We have Walter in stock and ready to ship. There is still time by our regular Priority mail shipping. Order now. Our site is safe and secure and we'll ship your stuffed crocodile the same day or next day from when we get your order. He's soft, a bit squishy, and very cuddly. You'll love him!

Life-sized Stuffed Toy Dog - Doberman Pinscher or Rottweiler - FOR REFERENCE ONLY - THIS DOG IS GONE!

SOLD! NO LONGER AVAILABLE . . . Our hand-made stuffed plush dog is either a doberman or a rottweiler, or perhaps a mixture of the two. It is sturdy and strong and would make a "tremendous" gift for a child. This stuffed toy dog is 40 inches long from front paws to short tail. It was hand made in the USA for our online gift shop, but we haven't had a chance to put it online. We're hoping you'll call and take him home for Christmas! It would be a perfect and unforgettable gift for a child who loves dogs. It's huge, and lovable and doesn't require care-taking like a real dog! It's brand new, has not been used. Call Sheryl, Sue, or Lee at (503) 325-3179 or Sheryl at (503) 338-8646. We take credit cards, debit cards and PayPal.

There is a velcro-closed pouch inside the dog's chest where you can store small treasures such as a small diary, small toys, secret notes and the like. It's made very sturdily by someone who is used to sewing costumes, stuffed animals and other creative large pieces that have to hold together well. A child could sit on this stuffed dog and not damage it.

This dog is priced to sell at $50.00, or make us an offer . . . we need the floor space! Give us a call toll free at (888) 325-3179 or (503) 338-8646. This could be fun!

Stuffed animal ferrets for Christmas!

Lots of people love these furry, friendly, mischievous animals! We have stuffed toy ferrets in two color combinations - dark sable with a light tan face, and the light-gray "black-footed ferret" with dark brown feet. Take either or take both! They are a delight for your ferret-loving friends or kids!

How about camel jewelry for Christmas?

Our beautiful hand-painted camel pin is a winner! You can order it online in our gift shop! The finish is hard and durable. It has the durability of the pewter it is made of, but looks and feels more the smooth finish of china.

Adorable Leopard Cub stuffed animal by Hansa

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. You can buy this cute and snuggly stuffed baby toy leopard from our online store: Tapir and Friends. As of today, we have only two left in stock!

Amazingly real STUFFED LYNX from Hansa!

This stuffed lynx is truly something else! We got one in the shop for a customer, and we liked it so much we ordered one for ourselves - but not to keep! We got it to share with other lynx- and bobcat-lovers, and that's exactly what we're going to do! This stuffed links wants a permanent home for the holidays. When we stay "stuffed lynx," we do NOT mean taxidermied! This toy linx is made by Hansa of synthetic fur and fabric, but it's made to look like a real animal.

I've taken a picture of this lynx in our own showroom, and you can get some idea of what it could look like in your home - your child's room, an adult's animal collection, or just about anywhere. It is really special. Note the long black ear-tufts, just like a real lynx. The paws are made to look like real cats' feet, the eyes are bright and shiny and full of color, and the fur is SOFT, and the body is 23 inches long from nose to tail. The front paws add another couple of inches. (Keep scrolling. . . .)

The price of this Hansa stuffed lynx toy or plush collectible wild cat is $140.00 plus shipping. Shipping in the USA, Canada and Mexico, APO and FPO is $14.00 by Priority mail. For overseas, contact us for the shipping rate.

Since this toy lynx is not yet set up in our online gift shop, please call to order: toll free (888) 325-3179 or cell phone (503) 338-8646. From overseas, call (503) 325-3179 or send us e-mail! Calling is probably the simplest way, but we also have a special item order form, and you can type in the name of the item and the amount and shipping will be added and you can enter your credit or debit card the same as for any of the other items in our store. Thanks for visiting us! ~ Sheryl

Stuffed aardvark by Hansa - wonderful stuffed animal!

As of today, they are still in stock and ready to ship to arrive before Christmas in the US by our regular Priority shipping - and overseas (hopefully) with expedited shipping.

Our stuffed aardvark by Hansa is really something special. Our wonderfully realistic-looking stuffed aardvark by Hansa is a toy that looks amazingly like a real animal. The plush aardvark is 12 1/2 inches from nose to rump. Its tail adds another 10 inches to its length, and the pink fabric-covered tongue is posable and holds its position when you move it. The tongue is about 1 1/2 inches long. It is sewn with soft plush fabric with extra-soft white tufts around the eyes, ears, and chin. There are four toes on each front foot and five toes on each back foot. This is a good thing, because aardvarks are known for digging! It has gentle hard plastic eyes (black pupils with a ring of gold for the iris) pinkish brown inside the ears. Our stuffed aardvark replica has a kindly expression and promises to snuggle next to you. This aardvark makes a wonderful gift for stuffed animal lovers and complements nicely any stuffed animal collection. The fabric is produced in small batches and is chosen especially for this animal. Each piece is hand-stictched in the Philippines by crafters willing to produce a unique item each and every time. Check out our other aardvark toys and gifts.

Read more about Hansa stuffed animals and see our selection.

Aardvarks (Orycteropus afer) are African mammals of a medium size that are most active at night and are good at burrowing into the earth. Their name, "aardvark," comes from the Afrikaans/Dutch language and means "earth pig." This unusual-looking animal has many names locally, including "antbear" or "anteater," although it is not a close relative of the anteaters of South America. Neither is it closely related to a pig, but is somewhat isolated taxonomically and is the only member of the order Tubulidentata. It is not a true edetate, although we've listed it with our edentates on the web site so that people could find it. As odd as it sounds, the aardvark is most closely related to elephant shrews, hyraxes, tenrecs and elephants. If we had put the aardvark in our elephant category, would you have found it? It's a strange thought!

Eastern Bluebird painted pin (hand-made animal jewelry)

This hand-painted Eastern Bluebird Pin is just one of our outstanding collection of cast pewter hand-painted pins. (The white marks on the head and shoulders are reflections from the scan - the surface is lacquered for durability and feels more like china than like metal.) These mini works of art are durable, very user-friendly and super collectible! We have so many pins they aren't all online in our gift shop yet! You can call us toll free at (888) 325-3179 for details and ordering, or you may see the pin you want on the hand-painted pin page of our web site. We also have a lot of our painted pins in our Painted Pins web album online.