Pillow Pets
Encyclopedia
Pillow Pets are a brand of American stuffed toys designed for children. Ordinary Pillow Pets are made of chenille and feature Velcro
straps underneath that give it the ability to be transformed from a decorated pillow into a stuffed animal. When Pillow Pets were invented by Jennifer Telfer in 2003, they were the first folding stuffed toys. Telfer decided to wholesale them through her company, CJ Products. They first gained success after the Christmas season, the period that Telfer herself sold the toys. Six years later, they would become more successful through television advertising
. Because of their continuing popularity, other companies have manufactured fraud
ulent Pillow Pets. Citizens of the United States, and the Pillow Pets company themselves, have donated Pillow Pets to help others in need.
with her husband, Clint, and two sons. Telfer stated in an interview with CNBC that the fact that his oldest son, then 7, would flatten one of his stuffed animals out like a pillow inspired her idea of making stuffed toys functional: "There was one particular animal that he liked to sleep with. And he slept with it so much that he started to flatten it out, and that's where I came with the concept that 'What if we can make stuffed animals functional?'" So, she decided on a combination of a pillow and a stuffed animal to have the concept for Pillow Pets. She and her husband proposed a meeting with a plush manufacturer at a tradeshow
in Las Vegas
, and decided to wholesale the toys themselves through their company, CJ Products (CJ being a combination of their first initials). Following the meeting, the Telfers were prepared to sell the first Pillow Pets.
The first Pillow Pet stuffed animal was "Snuggly Puppy." In the holiday season, Telfer first sold Pillow Pets at mall kiosks, but not all of them were sold. Telfer said in the same interview: "Every single parent would walk up, and their kids would love them. [The parents would] say, 'No, it's just another stuffed animal.' Because they didn't know that it opened up to a pillow." However, she started selling at home shows
a few weeks later, and almost sold out. She then discovered that if she kept selling the toys past Christmas, Pillow Pets would continue its reputation as a product that many people would buy. She ordered a container of 7,000 Pillow Pets, now in six different animal varieties, and sold all of the plushes in three months. By the end of 2003, CJ Products earned $300,000 in gross
sales.
In 2009, CJ Products started using television advertising
to attract more consumers to Pillow Pets. Commercials aired on children's cable
channels such as Nickelodeon
, and also on family-oriented networks such as Travel Channel
. Thanks in part to the ads, CJ Products recalled gross sales of $7,000,000 at the end of the year. Telfer said: "When we first came up with the idea of Pillow Pets, I knew I loved the idea, but I didn't realize that we were gonna be at this level, or people would love my idea as much as I loved it."
On February 11, 2011, CJ Products announced that Pillow Pets will be re-branded into Pillow Pets Premium, for specialty retail
stores. The line features softer fabrics and "collecter-level" branding. CJ Products expected Pillow Pets Premium stuffed animals to arrive in specialty retail stores by quarter three of 2011. These stores will continue to have exclusivity of the new designs for about 3 to 6 months before the plushes are offered to mass retailers.
More than one hundred Pillow Pets stuffed toys have been sold by CJ Products. Besides standard Pillow Pets, baseball-themed Pillow Pets have been produced for Major League Baseball
, National Football League
, and National Collegiate Athletic Association
teams. The Walt Disney Company
has licensed Disney-themed Pillow Pets, and stuffed toys such as those based on Thomas the Tank Engine, Dora the Explorer, and SpongeBob SquarePants are being produced as well. Besides stuffed animals, there are other products available that bear the Pillow Pets name, such as blankets, slippers, and hats. Additionally, a Pillow Pets book and two Pillow Pets board games are also available. In late October 2011, a Pillow Pets video game was also released for Nintendo DS
.
. Their initial goal was to donate 200 of the stuffed toys, but they exceeded it by 25 percent, donating 250 Pillow Pets to the hospital in time for Christmas Eve. According to McFarland, residents of New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Georgia, in addition to residents of their state, contributed. A year later, it was announced that McFarland aimed to donate even more Pillow Pets to five hospitals, including Johns Hopkins, by Christmas. She became affiliated with the Casey Cares Foundation and ordered 1,400 Pillow Pets from CJ Products to help the hospitals.
Also, seven-year-old Jacob McConahay and his family had been accepting donations of Pillow Pets for every child in the Riley Hospital
, in Indianapolis
, where Jacob was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma
. An early childhood volunteer, Jan Huntwork, mentioned that Jacob's goal was 1,000 Pillow Pets. CJ Products heard about Jacob's efforts, and committed to matching the number of Pillow Pets that he collected. McConahay's wish to help children in the Riley Hospital inspired students at China Grove Middle School, in Rowan County, North Carolina
, to donate Pillow Pets to patients at the Jeff Gordon Children's Hospital. Jacob later died on August 31, and at last report, his family has collected over 140,000 Pillow Pets in his name.
in Japan, CJ Products, The Today Show, and the American Red Cross
, collaborated to support relief efforts in the country. Pillow Pets announced on their blog that they would donate one dollar of every purchase of a Pillow Pet on their website, on March 17 and 18, 2011, to the American Red Cross. They also announced that they would auction five Pillow Pets on the same days, and that the money used to purchase the toys would go to the American Red Cross as well.
Since 2008, Pillow Pets has collaborated with the Family Reach Foundation to help families of children to fight cancer. In September 2011, the foundation received a donation of 6,200 Pillow Pets and was able to generate thousands of dollars in funds to support their mission. Carla Tardif, the director of development and special programs, stated a consideration of initiatives to create more promotion of Family Reach's cause and raise charitable funds for families worldwide. "We applaud the tremendous amount of work being done by the Family Reach Foundation on behalf of [the] families," Jennifer Telfer said.
Pillow Pets. CJ Products have been notified many times of impostor Pillow Pets. Telfer said: "It is priority one for us to protect our brand and deliver the high quality people have come to expect when they see the My Pillow Pets plush folding stuffed animals authentic tag."
In one case, in January 2011, Concord Toys International were accused of impersonating Pillow Pets. Their fake pillows were being sold in a warehouse
in Queens, New York City
and bore the label "Made in China
." Private detectives that were hired by CJ Products tracked the toys to the warehouse, where U.S. marshals
seized 17,000 counterfeit Pillow Pets. An injunction
was signed preventing Concord from manufacturing any forgeries, and CJ Products are currently seeking punitive damages
against the company.
. Also, Pillow Pets were among the toys on Toys R Us's 2010 'Hot Toy' list.
Velcro
Velcro is the brand name of the first commercially marketed fabric hook-and-loop fastener, invented in 1948 by the Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral...
straps underneath that give it the ability to be transformed from a decorated pillow into a stuffed animal. When Pillow Pets were invented by Jennifer Telfer in 2003, they were the first folding stuffed toys. Telfer decided to wholesale them through her company, CJ Products. They first gained success after the Christmas season, the period that Telfer herself sold the toys. Six years later, they would become more successful through television advertising
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
. Because of their continuing popularity, other companies have manufactured fraud
Fraud
In criminal law, a fraud is an intentional deception made for personal gain or to damage another individual; the related adjective is fraudulent. The specific legal definition varies by legal jurisdiction. Fraud is a crime, and also a civil law violation...
ulent Pillow Pets. Citizens of the United States, and the Pillow Pets company themselves, have donated Pillow Pets to help others in need.
History
In 2003, Jennifer Telfer was living in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
with her husband, Clint, and two sons. Telfer stated in an interview with CNBC that the fact that his oldest son, then 7, would flatten one of his stuffed animals out like a pillow inspired her idea of making stuffed toys functional: "There was one particular animal that he liked to sleep with. And he slept with it so much that he started to flatten it out, and that's where I came with the concept that 'What if we can make stuffed animals functional?'" So, she decided on a combination of a pillow and a stuffed animal to have the concept for Pillow Pets. She and her husband proposed a meeting with a plush manufacturer at a tradeshow
Trade fair
A trade fair is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products, service, study activities of rivals and examine recent market trends and opportunities...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, and decided to wholesale the toys themselves through their company, CJ Products (CJ being a combination of their first initials). Following the meeting, the Telfers were prepared to sell the first Pillow Pets.
The first Pillow Pet stuffed animal was "Snuggly Puppy." In the holiday season, Telfer first sold Pillow Pets at mall kiosks, but not all of them were sold. Telfer said in the same interview: "Every single parent would walk up, and their kids would love them. [The parents would] say, 'No, it's just another stuffed animal.' Because they didn't know that it opened up to a pillow." However, she started selling at home shows
Trade fair
A trade fair is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products, service, study activities of rivals and examine recent market trends and opportunities...
a few weeks later, and almost sold out. She then discovered that if she kept selling the toys past Christmas, Pillow Pets would continue its reputation as a product that many people would buy. She ordered a container of 7,000 Pillow Pets, now in six different animal varieties, and sold all of the plushes in three months. By the end of 2003, CJ Products earned $300,000 in gross
Gross (economics)
In economics, gross means before deductions. The antonym is net, meaning after deductions.-Usage:In this sense, it may appear an adjective, following the noun it modifies, e.g., "earned two million dollars, gross"...
sales.
In 2009, CJ Products started using television advertising
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
to attract more consumers to Pillow Pets. Commercials aired on children's cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
channels such as Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
, and also on family-oriented networks such as Travel Channel
Travel Channel
The Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris,...
. Thanks in part to the ads, CJ Products recalled gross sales of $7,000,000 at the end of the year. Telfer said: "When we first came up with the idea of Pillow Pets, I knew I loved the idea, but I didn't realize that we were gonna be at this level, or people would love my idea as much as I loved it."
On February 11, 2011, CJ Products announced that Pillow Pets will be re-branded into Pillow Pets Premium, for specialty retail
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
stores. The line features softer fabrics and "collecter-level" branding. CJ Products expected Pillow Pets Premium stuffed animals to arrive in specialty retail stores by quarter three of 2011. These stores will continue to have exclusivity of the new designs for about 3 to 6 months before the plushes are offered to mass retailers.
Product
When invented by Telfer, Pillow Pets were conceived as the first brand of folding stuffed toys. An ordinary Pillow Pet is made with chenille fabric. Underneath it is a Velcro strap. Given that it starts in pillow position, its strap fastens to the other side in order to transform it into a stuffed toy. If the strap is unfastened again, the Pillow Pet can again be used as a pillow.More than one hundred Pillow Pets stuffed toys have been sold by CJ Products. Besides standard Pillow Pets, baseball-themed Pillow Pets have been produced for Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, and National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
teams. The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
has licensed Disney-themed Pillow Pets, and stuffed toys such as those based on Thomas the Tank Engine, Dora the Explorer, and SpongeBob SquarePants are being produced as well. Besides stuffed animals, there are other products available that bear the Pillow Pets name, such as blankets, slippers, and hats. Additionally, a Pillow Pets book and two Pillow Pets board games are also available. In late October 2011, a Pillow Pets video game was also released for Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
.
Charity work
CJ Products are known for their charity work, as they have donated Pillow Pets for many causes. In addition to CJ Products, citizens of the United States have also donated Pillow Pets to help others.Indirect
In December 2010, Michele McFarland, a human resources worker for the Baltimore County Department of Social Services, and her family, all from Catonsville, Maryland, started a Pillow Pet drive to help children at the Johns Hopkins HospitalJohns Hopkins Hospital
The Johns Hopkins Hospital is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland . It was founded using money from a bequest by philanthropist Johns Hopkins...
. Their initial goal was to donate 200 of the stuffed toys, but they exceeded it by 25 percent, donating 250 Pillow Pets to the hospital in time for Christmas Eve. According to McFarland, residents of New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Georgia, in addition to residents of their state, contributed. A year later, it was announced that McFarland aimed to donate even more Pillow Pets to five hospitals, including Johns Hopkins, by Christmas. She became affiliated with the Casey Cares Foundation and ordered 1,400 Pillow Pets from CJ Products to help the hospitals.
Also, seven-year-old Jacob McConahay and his family had been accepting donations of Pillow Pets for every child in the Riley Hospital
James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children
Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health is a nationally ranked children's hospital located on the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus in Indianapolis, Indiana....
, in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, where Jacob was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma
Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma
Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma is a type of rhabdomyosarcoma characterized by its appearance, which is similar to the alveoli of the lungs.It can be associated with a fusion protein between PAX3 and FKHR ....
. An early childhood volunteer, Jan Huntwork, mentioned that Jacob's goal was 1,000 Pillow Pets. CJ Products heard about Jacob's efforts, and committed to matching the number of Pillow Pets that he collected. McConahay's wish to help children in the Riley Hospital inspired students at China Grove Middle School, in Rowan County, North Carolina
Rowan County, North Carolina
-Demographics and economics:As of the census of 2010, there were 138,428 people, 53,140 households, and 37,058 families residing in the county. The population density was 270.7 people per square mile . There were 60,211 housing units at an average density of 117.7 per square mile...
, to donate Pillow Pets to patients at the Jeff Gordon Children's Hospital. Jacob later died on August 31, and at last report, his family has collected over 140,000 Pillow Pets in his name.
Direct
Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
in Japan, CJ Products, The Today Show, and the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
, collaborated to support relief efforts in the country. Pillow Pets announced on their blog that they would donate one dollar of every purchase of a Pillow Pet on their website, on March 17 and 18, 2011, to the American Red Cross. They also announced that they would auction five Pillow Pets on the same days, and that the money used to purchase the toys would go to the American Red Cross as well.
Since 2008, Pillow Pets has collaborated with the Family Reach Foundation to help families of children to fight cancer. In September 2011, the foundation received a donation of 6,200 Pillow Pets and was able to generate thousands of dollars in funds to support their mission. Carla Tardif, the director of development and special programs, stated a consideration of initiatives to create more promotion of Family Reach's cause and raise charitable funds for families worldwide. "We applaud the tremendous amount of work being done by the Family Reach Foundation on behalf of [the] families," Jennifer Telfer said.
Counterfeits
Some toy companies have taken advantage of Pillow Pets' popularity by manufacturing and selling counterfeitCounterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
Pillow Pets. CJ Products have been notified many times of impostor Pillow Pets. Telfer said: "It is priority one for us to protect our brand and deliver the high quality people have come to expect when they see the My Pillow Pets plush folding stuffed animals authentic tag."
In one case, in January 2011, Concord Toys International were accused of impersonating Pillow Pets. Their fake pillows were being sold in a warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
in Queens, New York City
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
and bore the label "Made in China
Made in China
Made in China or Made in PRC is a country of origin label affixed to products manufactured in the mainland China, the People's Republic of China , excluding Hong Kong and Macau where all products made in those regions are labeled as "Made in Hong Kong" and "Made in Macau", respectively...
." Private detectives that were hired by CJ Products tracked the toys to the warehouse, where U.S. marshals
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
seized 17,000 counterfeit Pillow Pets. An injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
was signed preventing Concord from manufacturing any forgeries, and CJ Products are currently seeking punitive damages
Punitive damages
Punitive damages or exemplary damages are damages intended to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit...
against the company.
Awards and accolades
Pillow Pets have won several awards for being a child-friendly product. In 2009, Stevanne Auerbach recognized the toy as one of the Best Vacation Toys. Again in 2009, Armin Brott of Mr. Dad awarded the product the Mr. Dad Seal of Approval for Father's DayFather's Day
Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June but it is also celebrated widely on other days...
. Also, Pillow Pets were among the toys on Toys R Us's 2010 'Hot Toy' list.