David Tan creates stuffed dolls to help animal lovers transition to life without their furry friends.
A toymaker in the Philippines says his toys may ease some of that pain.
David Tan, who owns Pampanga Teddy Bear Factory, creates stuffed dolls to help animal lovers transition to life without their furry friends.
Tan, along with 20 employees, make realistic replicas of pets who have died. Using pictures from the families, they are able to recreate a pet’s distinct markings and silhouette. Each custom toy takes about two days to finish and costs around $65.
“It’s like something that’s physical that looks just like the pet and it gives all the warm fuzzy feelings coming back again," Tan told repotrers.
The idea came from Tan’s personal experience.
“I used to have this Golden Retriever,” Tan said. “I loved her dearly and she passed away in 2019. Now, since I was doing plush toys at the time, I asked my pattern-maker: 'As a way of remembering my beloved pet, can you try making a realistic clone of her?'"
The company has now made memorials for dogs, cats, hamsters and rabbits. They look realistic, but they are just toys.
“We’re not taxidermy. So it removes that 'ick' factor, right? We’re not actually using the real skin of the pet, you know. This is actually 100%, genuinely a stuffed toy. So, basically it’s just the same fabric we use for making teddy bears but it looks realistic,” Tan said.
