If you used Skype, you know these two. The squirrel with a nut and the bear who loves hugs sat in the emoticon menu for years. We turned both into soft toys: a ginger squirrel plush clutching a green hazelnut and a chestnut-brown bear with his paw up, ready for a hug. Each one was made to order, sewn by hand from a tiny chat picture.
Our old note about them said it best. Now they don't just pop up in your Skype, they can hug you for real.
From a few pixels to faux fur
An emoticon is maybe twenty pixels tall. There's no back view, no paws you can count, no idea how the fur lies. So we decide all that. The squirrel got shaggy ginger faux fur, long tufts on the ears, big glossy eyes and grey claws. The bear got darker, denser fur with light tan ears and paw pads, and a shiny black nose. The nut is sewn from fabric too, with a green cap.
Skype is gone, the toys aren't
Skype shut down in May 2025. A lot of people still remember typing (hug) to send that bear, or the hidden squirrel some knew as (heidy). The app went away. These two, from our 2012 archive, still sit side by side in the photos below.
Your emoticon next
Any emoji, sticker or chat smiley can become a plush: the one you always sent your partner, a pack your friends used for years, an in-joke from a group chat. Send us a screenshot. We'll work out the shape, the colors and the size with you, and you approve photos before it ships.
This page shows a pair, so the price is per toy: from $370 each. Order one or both.
We're an independent studio, not an official Skype or Microsoft product. More chat pictures we've sewn: the Ghost Emoji, Persik the Cat and all sticker plushies.
Both toys are sewn from shaggy faux fur, picked to match the emoticons' colors: bright ginger for the squirrel, deep chestnut brown for the bear. Short soft plush in light tan covers the bear's ear insides and paw pads and the squirrel's belly, ears and feet.
- Eyes: glossy, black, with a ring around the squirrel's
- Noses: shiny black for the bear, grey for the squirrel
- Squirrel extras: long ear tufts, grey claws, a fluffy tail, a fabric hazelnut with a green cap
The filling is hypoallergenic and soft enough for hugging, which is the bear's whole job. On request we can add a sound module, for example a recorded "hug" message, or wire in the paws so they hold a pose. Tell us when you order, since these go in while we sew.
A plush like these usually takes 2–4 weeks per toy. A pair can be made at the same time.
Most of the thinking happens at the start. An emoticon is tiny and flat, so we draw the toy from every side, then build the pattern, choose the fur and only then cut and sew. Faces get the most time: eyes, nose and those ear tufts decide whether people recognize the character.
The time frame includes a reserve for handmade surprises. If you need the toy for a birthday or an anniversary, give 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.
Ordering a pair as a gift for two people, or for one person who sent you that bear a thousand times? Both toys travel in one parcel. For Christmas, order by November 1.
Before we pack anything, you get photos of the finished toys to approve.
We've been sewing toys from pictures since 2009, including emoticons and stickers that give us very little to go on. Filling in the missing views is part of the job.
You see 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.
A blurry screenshot is fine to start. If something is unclear, we'll ask.
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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.
