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Plush toys really don’t serve any serious purpose, and are often bought just to fill a gift obligation. But if you put some thought into it, you can really impress someone with their favorite things, in a form all ready to cuddle up with. You don’t even have to look, because the list is right here!
1. Tickle Me Freud
Forget Tickle Me Elmo! Tickle Me Freud is a serious psychoanalyst until you press his foot, then he shows his real personality with an infectious belly laugh!
2. Monty Python’s Killer Rabbit
From the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, this cute little bunny seems harmless, until he bares his teeth and eats you. Available in both original plush-only and electronic flashing-eye version. Run away! Run away!
3. Venereal Disease Microbes
These toys are greatly magnified versions of the germs that cause Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and Herpes. Available individually or as a set of four. Other microbes are available from Giant Microbes, from the flu to Mad Cow prions.
Lots more cool plushies, after the jump.
4. DRDs
The science fiction series Farscape features little Diagnostic Repair Drones, or DRDs. These cute little robots are available in a 12 inch plush form!
5. Aliens
You wouldn’t think of the creature from Alien and its sequels as a cuddly toy, but someone did. Get an Alien Facehugger with Egg, or a somewhat more mature version of the Alien.
6. Cthulhu
The elder god comes in many forms, including the original Cthulhu plush toy, the superhero version, a goth version, and the special Christmas version.
7. Badger Badger Badger
A Weebl’s Badger is a perfect gift for someone who has spent way too much time amusing themselves on the internet. If you’re not familiar with the Badgers, click here.
8. Space Godzilla
Space Godzilla is a clone of Godzilla, traveling through space via the power of his shoulder crystals! You may remember him from the movie Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla. Other characters from the Godzilla films are available in plush, too!
9. Celebrity Dogs
These plush dolls are dogs that look like celebrities, from Happytails Pet Boutique. There are currently fourteen different celebrity dogs.
10. Viking Kitten
I can never again hear Immigrant Song without thinking of kittens. If you know someone like that, they’d love to have a Viking Kitten of their own, from Rathergood. If you’re not familiar with the Viking Kittens, click here.
11. Mars
You’ve seen soft cuddly Earth globes, but how about Mars? This Hugg-A-Planet Mars features an accurate map of over 400 Mars locations, including the landing spots for exploratory probes.
12. Roadkill Toys
This is so new, I’m not sure how it will go over. Roadkill Toys is starting out with a plushie called Twitch the Raccoon, who has been squashed flat, complete with blood and guts, all made from 100% polyester. Other roadkill designs are coming soon.
13. Einstein
And this list wouldn’t be complete without mental_floss’ mascot, Albert Einstein. Any genius, wannabe genius, or budding genius could use him for inspiration!
You’ve forgotten the plush Half-Life II’s headcrab ;-)
posted by Algernon on 11-29-2007 at 6:31 am
Really enjoyed this post. I love quirky creativity!
posted by Jan on 11-29-2007 at 7:10 am
What about the llama song? You know :
Llama, llama duck…
posted by gus on 11-29-2007 at 7:36 am
I might be mistaken, but I think the Killer Rabbit is more specifically from the Broadway musical Spamalot than from the movie that spawned it.
posted by Dan on 11-29-2007 at 7:37 am
Someone from my office used to have the monty python bunny.
He and the bunny kind of became the butt of all office jokes, as the owner was very protective of his evil bunny.
The bunny was kidnapped, held for ransom, taken hostage to Canada, replaced, at one point, with a tub of (real) rabbit meat, hanged from the ceiling tiles, wrapped in Christmas lights, burried in packing peanuts and placed on his desk with a rose in it’s mouth.
… those were good times :D
posted by Ashley on 11-29-2007 at 8:10 am
I think you mean “Face Hugger”, rather than “Facebuster” for the Alien plush. Worst. Article. Ever.
And, what? No Ugly Dolls?
posted by SpaceMonkeyX on 11-29-2007 at 8:31 am
Whooops, you’re right… corrected. I got facehugger and chestbuster mixed together, both are available.
posted by Miss Cellania on 11-29-2007 at 8:36 am
I was always partial to the line of Japanese plush kittens/food items. A wacky variety of burgers with kitty heads sticking out, chicken nuggets (with dipping sauce!) that look like cats…that sort of things. I don’t know the exact website, but I Google image-searched ‘burger plush’ and there it is!
posted by RosiePerez on 11-29-2007 at 9:14 am
The Giant Microbe plushes are great! My friend has the Common Cold, and I’ve got Borrelia burgorferi (Lyme disease). Another friend has the Pox.
I knew someone with the Killer Rabbit, but it must have been a different version, his didn’t have glowing eyes.
posted by Katherine on 11-29-2007 at 9:33 am
i love cuddly things. i have a couple of the microbes (ebola, rhinovirus, and salmonella)–they have brain cells now, too, so i’ll have to pick one up.
i particularly like the roadkill plush…what does that say about me?
there are plenty of killer rabbits in the “Holy Grail” by the way.
posted by jennifer on 11-29-2007 at 11:38 am
These are adorable1 I’d love to get the Mars plush so I can acurately say that I’ve thrown a planet at my friends.
The badger plush should have come in a set along witha moushroom and a snake :D.
posted by heather on 11-29-2007 at 1:06 pm
My boyfriend bought me the original killer rabbit a few years ago when I was done with finals. I love that thing!
And yes, the rabbit is definitely in the movie-it’s probably as big of a cult reference as The Knights Who Say Ni (there’s only one rabbit however, not many). Although the rabbit in Spamalot was awesome.
posted by Kate on 11-29-2007 at 1:22 pm
I like the Cthulhu and the VD microbe plushies! I think I’ll nag my wife for one as a Xmas gift. BTW, you failed to mention another great plushie idea, the Anomalocaris plushie (google Anomarokarisu)! Burgess Shale critters beat aliens any day. :)
posted by Heathen Dan on 11-29-2007 at 4:31 pm
I got the Tickle-Me-Freud for my grandpa for Christmas a couple of years ago. He has a very strange and unpredictable sense of humor, and luckily, he thought it was HILARIOUS. Also hilarious - the thank you note I got which included a story about when he accidentally sat on the doll and it went off. (Yikes.)
posted by Molly on 11-30-2007 at 11:18 am
i googled the burger plush kitten thing. how weird…
why do they put kittens in everything? the sushi set is kind of cute though…
posted by jennifer on 11-30-2007 at 11:33 am
Thanks for the great list, I was very interested in the Killer Bunny. Unfortunately, it took a long time to figure out where you put your link to buy the darn thing.
Please, if you put a hyperlink in the middle of text, use the default blue underline format so that people won’t waste a lot of time looking for a link that they can’t see.
posted by Pitlord on 11-30-2007 at 12:11 pm
The Cthulhu plush is so adorable! I want my very own Cthulhu.
posted by Alistaire on 11-30-2007 at 12:16 pm
You missed Pee & Poo! Although adults without infants that want these may have unusual, err, proclivities.
posted by Reflibman on 12-2-2007 at 9:03 am
Pee and Poo were covered adequately in the Crappiest Toys post last week.
mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/9934
posted by Miss Cellania on 12-2-2007 at 10:34 am
They have a Weighted Companion Cube plush from the Valve game, Portal.
If you’ve played the game, you love the WCC.
posted by Money on 12-12-2007 at 8:37 am
You forgot “Teddy Scares”- really twisted and evil versions of teddy bears.
I keep trying to buy one for my daughter, but my wife nixes the idea every time.
posted by madpuppy on 12-12-2007 at 8:55 am
Wow! I thought Tickle Me Freud was funny (was it the Tickle Me Elmo that eventually started vibrating? When my at the time two-year-old sister was in her “Elmo” stage, we had a heckuva lot of fun by handing it to her just before it started vibrating, and watching her startled expression and quick “drop and back away” when it did…ah, good times, good times), thought the Killer Rabbit was AWESOME (I LOVE that movie!) and was flabbergasted to see the DRD toy. I’m a huge sci-fi fan, and when the stars of “Farscape,” Ben Browder and Claudia Black, both joined the cast of another show I loved, “Stargate: SG-1,” I began watching “Farscape” and loved the DRDs. They’re smart little droids, something like the less complex version of R2-D2, and they were definitely an underused plot device. I may have to buy the plushie!
posted by Kate on 3-1-2008 at 10:08 pm
Well, where are you all. Stuffed bloggers of the world unite. I rather fancy the Python’s Rabbit myself. I saw him on stage in London recently. You can find me in my own blog at www.bestplushlife.com. See you there :-)
Paula (a beautiful stuffed duckie)
posted by Paula on 6-10-2008 at 9:20 pm