Two six-year-olds each drew an elephant, and each got that elephant back as a giant elephant plush, about a metre tall. We sewed both in 2011, made to order from the two drawings and nothing else. Nobody picked them off a shelf. They didn't exist until these two kids drew them.
A "graduation" before school
They went to a children's development centre. Reading, writing, drawing, clay, a lot of imagination. Then came their "graduation": school was a few months away. The centre's team and the parents wanted a gift the kids would remember, so they turned the children's own art into toys.
The red-and-green elephant
The boy painted his in gouache: a green body, a big red head and one dark blue eye. We kept it exactly that bold. The body and legs are green, while the head, the huge ears and the long trunk are bright red. He has blue eyes with raised brows, which gives him a slightly worried look, and two little yellow tusks.
The striped elephant
The girl used crayons. Her elephant walks under a rainbow and a smiling sun, and his body is striped in every color she had. So the toy got a pink head, a light blue trunk and legs, orange ears with cream tips and a body in wide stripes of blue, green, red, yellow and pale pink. The tail is a red cord with a tassel.
Why the drawing wins
Kids don't draw elephants the way a toy factory does, and that's the whole point. We don't "fix" a child's drawing. If the head is red and the body is green, the plush is red and green. We only work out how to make it stand up and hold together at that size. The two drawings are at the end of the gallery, so you can compare.
Want to turn your kid's drawing into a stuffed animal? Send a photo of the picture and tell us the size: a small one for the bed or a big one like these. The price is per toy, from $780 per elephant here.
More from children's art: the Rainbow Kitty, a baby elephant plush sewn from a picture, and all plush from drawings.
Both elephants are sewn from soft plush fabric in the exact colors of the drawings: green and red for one, pink, light blue, orange and five stripe colors for the other. Each color is a separate piece, so the stripes and color blocks are real seams, not prints.
- Eyes: stitched appliqué, blue with brows on one, black with a green rim on the other
- Ears: padded and quilted so they hold their shape
- Extras from the drawings: yellow tusks, a red cord tail with a tassel
The filling is hypoallergenic, packed firmly so a metre-tall elephant stands on its own legs. On request we can add a sound module with a recorded voice, or wire in the trunk so it holds a pose. Tell us in your first message, since these go in while we sew.
A giant plush like these usually takes 2–4 weeks.
First we turn the drawing into a pattern. A child's elephant has no side view and no back, so we decide how the parts join while keeping the shapes and colors of the picture. Then cutting, sewing and stuffing, and at a metre tall that takes a while.
The time frame includes a reserve for handmade surprises. If the toy is for a graduation, a birthday or the last day of kindergarten, tell us the date when you write.
We ship worldwide. Delivery usually takes 7–20 business days, depending on your country and the carrier. Around the holidays mail slows down, so add a few extra days.
For a school or kindergarten event, count back from the day: making time plus shipping. For Christmas, order by November 1.
Before we pack, you get photos of the finished toy to approve. A metre-tall elephant travels in a big box, so expect a large parcel at the door.
We've been sewing toys from drawings since 2009. A child spots every difference from their picture right away, so we stick to it closely.
You approve photos of the finished toy before it ships. If you still don't love it, you get a full refund within 14 days, for any reason.
Only have a phone photo of the drawing on the fridge? That's enough. We'll ask if anything is unclear.
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Custom toys start from $350.
A bigger size or extra details can cost more.
Why?
No ready-made pattern. Your photo or drawing doesn’t come with one. Our artist builds the pattern from scratch and turns a flat picture into a 3D toy. It’s the hardest and slowest part.
Materials picked for your toy. The right color, fur length and texture. Sometimes we order fabric just for one project.
Sewn by hand. Every piece is cut, sewn, stuffed and finished by hand. The face takes the most time: move an eye a millimeter and the character changes.
You approve it first. When your toy is ready, we send you photos. Something looks off? We fix it before shipping.
One toy, not a thousand. A factory spreads design costs over thousands of copies. Here, all that work goes into one toy: yours.
That’s why prices start at $350. And on a personal order, if you don’t love your toy, you get a full refund.
