What do you call toys like this?

@Fleura (34678)
United Kingdom
March 17, 2026 9:53am CST
Following up on my last post, I just wondered what you call this kind of toy? I would call it a cuddly toy, and in this case specifically, a teddy bear. Teddy bears were first named in honour of Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, who refused to shoot a captured bear while on a hunting trip, and a toy manufacturer seized on this as a publicity gimmick. In the UK Ted or Teddy was more often a nickname for Edward, so in many cases such toy bears were named ‘Edward Bear’. I was confused though when Big One first started nursery, because the staff told us she could bring her teddy. Her favourite cuddly toy was a dog, so we were unsure whether we would have to go and get her a bear instead…Even more confusingly, the word ‘teddy’ is sometimes used to refer to a one-piece item of ladies’ lingerie, surely they didn’t mean that?? Turned out they used the word ‘teddy’ to mean any kind of cuddly toy. I’ve also heard such toys referred to as ‘stuffed animals’ but to me a stuffed animal is the product of taxidermy and not ideal as a toddler’s toy. Some people call them ‘cuddlies’; others call them soft toys. What do you call them?
12 people like this
12 responses
@LindaOHio (220121)
• United States
18 Mar
Stuffed animal, teddy bear.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (220121)
• United States
20 Mar
@Fleura I guess a stuffed animal too.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (173219)
• United States
17 Mar
They're normally called stuffed animals here and Pretty has many of them. I also have the stuffed elephant that I've talked about before on myLot several years ago. With Pretty's ancient stuffed baby, we call the pair of them babies and they're sitting comfortably on our living room sofa partially covered with a crocheted blanket. And a "Teddy" can refer to any stuffed animal for children as well as the women's undergarment.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (173219)
• United States
17 Mar
@Fleura I call it a taxidermied animal.
2 people like this
@AmbiePam (118485)
• United States
17 Mar
I would say a teddy bear or a stuffed animal. I don’t believe I’d ever think of taxidermy when referring to a stuffed animal.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (34678)
• United Kingdom
17 Mar
So what do you call an actual stuffed animal?
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (85635)
• United States
17 Mar
I call that a teddy bear.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (34678)
• United Kingdom
17 Mar
But what about other toy animals?
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (85635)
• United States
17 Mar
@Fleura — toy or stuffed dog, cat, etc.
1 person likes this
@SIDIKIMPOLE (3397)
• Eldoret, Kenya
20 Mar
Commonly called teddy bears! Very cool to have in the living room
1 person likes this
18 Mar
I used to have names for them all. Big Ted, he was good. When I left home my sister took him When I asked for Big Ted back she said I couldn't have him So years later when I was very drunk, I told her husband she had cheated on him whilst he was in a coma. It slipped out
1 person likes this
@Fleura (34678)
• United Kingdom
20 Mar
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (133799)
• Marion, Ohio
17 Mar
That is a teddy bear. I call them stuffed toys as a group
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (96846)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
18 Mar
Stuffed toys or just a teddy bear.
1 person likes this
• United States
17 Mar
Back when my kids were young we always called them stuffed animals but now it seems that any kind of stuffed toy is a "stuffie"
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (379009)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Mar
I'd guess I'd call them soft toys.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
17 Mar
Plush toys, however, for me it's a dust collector.
1 person likes this
@pitsipeahie (5694)
18 Mar
We call that teddy bear and then other animals or cuddly toys like that are called stuffed toys. I've had plenty of stuffed toys when i was a kid and i kept only two for special reasons- a rabbit and a teddy bear.
1 person likes this