I've always wanted to make plush since it's something I also love to buy. Honestly, the internet has made so much super accessible, especially to someone like myself who doesn't know how to sew. I could learn but I also know my time is valuable and that's where many of us turn to manufacturing. Since I've been getting a lot of questions lately about plush and my manufacturers, it was recommended I just write a guide.
Rules & Regulations of Plush
Before you start diving directly into anything, you need to understand the rules and regulations surrounding plush for where you reside. For me, I am in the United States and we have guidelines on what to test for and that is all I will cover in this blog. As of December 13, 2024 the EU has guidelines (GSPR) that if you plan to sell there, you will need to abide by or be fined. There are also differences in CE markings, so keep that in mind (thank you Appel for the link). You'll want to do some research yourself to be in compliance.
Toy Safety Business Guide
ASTM F963
Pennsylvania Registration Stuffed Toys
August 27, 2024 PA Updates
There are many more resources, but these are the main things. While there are rules for small batches, I don't know what they are off hand. You can do the research. When I emailed the government, they basically stated it needs to be "intended for children" to be considered a toy. They also noted if a "product is commonly recognized by the consumer as being intended for use by a child 12 years of age or younger" - which is really the issue. The number of plush projects I've backed or products I have ordered from companies online that were for my kid but ended up not being properly tested or tagged was a lot higher than you would think it would be. I am going to copy and paste the next part directly from the email I received (I was asking about pillows in this case).
If you’ve determined the product is a children’s product, it likely is subject to the following CPSC requirements:
- Total lead content (15 U.S.C. § 1278a): Untreated and unadulterated natural and synthetic textiles are not required to be tested for total lead content (see 16 CFR § 1500.91(d)(7)); component parts such as buttons, zippers, and snaps, and certain printing processes such as heat transfer vinyl must be tested.
- Lead in paint and similar surface coatings (16 CFR part 1303): Applicable to component parts such as buttons, zippers, and snaps that are painted, and for printing processes that use a liquid or semi-liquid surface coating and hardens (such as screen printing).
- Phthalates (16 CFR part 1307): Applicable to plasticized components or components that may contain phthalates for child care articles that facilitate sleep for children ages 3 and younger.
- Small parts (16 CFR part 1501): Testing for ages 0 up to 3 years old; labeling if small parts as received for ages 3 to 6
- Tracking labels
- Third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted lab
- Certification in a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC)
Other notes that were in the email that people should consider when making their product:
- A statement by the manufacturer about the intended use of the product, including a label on the product, if such statement is reasonable.
- Whether the product is represented in its packaging, display, promotion, or advertising as appropriate for use by children 12 years of age or younger.
- Whether the product is commonly recognized by consumers as being intended for use by a child 12 years of age or younger.
- The Age Determination Guidelines (pdf) issued by the Commission staff in January 2020, and any successor to such guidelines. This document will provide information specific to different types of toys and products.
Now that you know you need to understand legalities of things before you even really consider plush production, we can move on to what you're probably actually here for.
Sourcing a Manufacturer
I spent a lot of time looking at tags of plush and found that plush are typically produced in China, Vietnam and Thailand. While I know names of factories, I also don't know how to contact all of them or even how some of these bigger companies found them to begin with.
I will say when I first started off, I went straight to Squishable. I already purchase their products, so in my mind this was a great place to start. I want to also start off before you ever go to their site and click their link, their MOQ is 1,200. MOQ stands for Minimum Order Quantity. That means for one single design, you will need to order no fewer than 1,200 of that one design. Most people just do a quick search to see what plush manufacturers pull up or they go directly to Alibaba.
Questions you will may want to ask when you're sourcing a manufacturer:
- What is the MOQ?
- What does this manufacturer specialize in?
- How much is a prototype? Does cost depend on size and complexity?
- Is there an additional cost for each revision? If so, how much? How many revisions do you get before they start charging you?
- Who do they use for their safety testing? Is that an approved third party on the list for the US? How much are they charging for safety testing?
- How much does it cost for hang tags and butt tags? This is assuming they aren't included in the price, but you will want to ask.
- How do they handle shipping? Are you using a fulfillment center or are you shipping directly to yourself? Costs vary as well if you use air or sea (I always use sea) and if they do or don't handle who does pickup once they arrive to port. Mine does, not all will.
- Can they prove they do not use child labor in their factory?
I personally look for manufacturers with lower MOQs, around 200-500. I know there are some that go as low as you want, but you also need to take into consideration that the price per product will go up a lot if you only make a small quantity of them. My preference is 500+ but I can't afford that yet. It's something many small artists struggle with. If I recall, the only manufacturer I know off hand that does one off plush is Gaopeng. Don't take this as a recommendation from me. I know a lot of artists love them, I do not. Your experience will vary.
Recently my husband and I went to Target to flip over tags on pillows and plush. We noticed something called OEKO-TEX® on many of the products. I have not dug into this too much as of this post simply because it's extremely expensive. I know some more popular artists already have these, but if you're a larger artist and ever intend on being in big box stores this may be of interest to you. For now, it's future me problems.
I made samples with 2 different manufacturers once I realized affording Squishable as a middle man was not going to happen (RIP my failed Kickstarter). I realized I never noted this earlier but there are trade companies and direct manufacturers on Alibaba if you go that route. Trade companies tend to just be middle men. You'll want to look at their company information to figure that out. I will say sometimes I prefer working with trade companies over direct to factory, but it depends on the product itself and what the trade company will handle on their end to make sure I am getting what I want. This will be up to experience and preference for you, but you'll figure this out as you go through this process.
Things you may not have considered as well before you start going through the process:
- Do you have space for plush? If not, can you afford to rent a temperature controlled storage unit or use a fulfillment service?
- How are you planning to pay for the plush? Some people take out business loans, some use a business credit card (not recommended), and some use crowdfunding like Kickstarter or Backerkit.
- What shipping materials are you planning to use? Boxes? Poly Mailers?
Plush take up a lot more space than people seem to realize, so this is definitely something to consider. Even with a small plush that is 4-5 inches, that's a substantial amount of space that will be taken up. Larger plush? Even more. 200 plush at 12 inches can take up around 8-9 large boxes for shipping. That has to go somewhere. So make sure storage is a part of your plan before you ever start production.
Some places will only ship to a warehouse or a place where they can use a loading dock for a pallet. That is something to ask about as well. I believe this was something Squishable required since they couldn't deliver to my house. My project never funded so I never ended up experiencing this in the end. This may be something you will have to consider though.
Prototyping
Once you have found a manufacturer you want to try out, you start the prototyping/sampling process. I personally think you should try out 2-3 factories and then go from there. I think I spent around $800 early on in this process just to figure things out, so keep in mind this is a slow and expensive journey.
I also want to note that plush have limitations within 3D that will need to be considered as well. Drawing something does not mean that they can easily translate it into reality. I was told that plush should be drawn with 3D shapes in mind.
I will say that my experience working with Squishable was nothing short of amazing. They specialize with more round and simple plush than I wanted to make, so my first project pivoted from corgis to panic puffs (my emotional puffer fish product line). At the time, the sample was $250. They communicated quickly through email during my normal working hours. Sourcing overseas means they were probably the ones communicating while I was asleep unless their factory contacts are awake during our hours instead.
They were very clear at the time that they didn't do anything outside of the US. Since I worked with them back in 2021, a lot could have changed since then. My experience will also not be your experience, so please keep that in mind if you use them.
My first prototype was intended to be a corgi. Squishable didn't translate my design how I wanted to I changed to making puffer fish (which came from my Mythical Monster campaign). Since it was a simple ball, it was a much easier design for them to work with. They used spikes similar to what their puffer fish design had on it.
Material understanding is extremely valuable here. Even now, I don't understand materials nearly as much as I should. There are so many types of fabrics with different compositions. Not everything can be done in a way you're thinking it can be either. Some things need to be printed while others can be embroidered on. There are different types of stitching. What kinds are best? If you have any background in sewing things yourself, you're ahead of the game in this regard.
I personally don't like printing on designs unless I have to. My favorite material is minky and is what I used on my corgi plush for the lower pile fur.
Quotes
This may vary by manufacturer, but generally you can't get a quote until you have created a prototype/sample of your design. The reason is that the complexity of the design determines the cost. So a small design may cost as much or more than a large plush if it's more labor intensive.
Squishmallows are probably a good example of a well known simply designed product line. I have no idea what they actually cost to produce, but many of their plush are just an egg shape design with embroidery on it. Adding things like wings, legs, ears, etc to a design will increase the cost per unit. This is where quantity begins to matter a lot more. If you order more of a design, it will bring down over all cost per unit.
I am not done, still need to cover many things DO NOT READ PAST THIS POINT
Costs for small runs are substantial.
How do you get a quote
where do you get a quote
How do you request for quote
What is a quote
designing
Understanding of different materials - different methods of decorating (embroidery, magnets, printed, beads) and stuffing types
safety things
Tag & Labeling Requirements
asd