Rugby Tiger plush, sewn by hand for one person: you. If you grew up with Jim Henson's The Christmas Toy (1986), you know Rugby, last year's Christmas toy, sure he'd get unwrapped again this year. We don't keep a ready-made Rugby on a shelf. Every Rugby Tiger stuffed animal is made to order, for the person who asks for him.
Rugby the Tiger, Jim Henson's Christmas Toy (1986)
The Christmas Toy aired on ABC on December 6, 1986, with Dave Goelz, Gonzo's Muppet performer, as Rugby. The playroom rule: toys come alive when nobody's looking, but a toy caught out of its place is frozen forever.
Rugby breaks it anyway. He sneaks under the tree to get back into a gift box, lets out Meteora, Queen of the Asteroids, and nearly loses his best friend: little Mew gets frozen trying to help. Rugby's song to him is the scene fans remember most. In 1994 he starred in The Secret Life of Toys.
The Rugby plush you couldn't buy
Lots of kids wanted a Rugby of their own, and you couldn't find one in the stores. Some fans remember a parent bringing home a plain toy tiger instead. It got named Rugby anyway.
Maybe that was you, or the dad who still watches a taped VHS every Christmas Eve and now shows it to his kids. Put a Rugby Tiger plush under the tree and this time the toy really is the Christmas present.
One of our Rugbys went to Dex in the USA, where owning Rugby had been a childhood dream. His full review is further down this page.
What makes a Rugby Tiger stuffed animal look like Rugby
Orange fur with brown stripes. A white belly and muzzle, a shaggy white ruff, pink nose and ears, green eyes. Big white paw pads with black spots, and a wide red smile. Get one of those wrong and he turns into a generic toy tiger, so we match them one by one. Before your Rugby ships, you get photos to approve.
Our video of the Rugby Tiger plush.
Some fans know it as A Christmas Toy, "the Jim Henson special where the toys come alive" or Toy Story before Toy Story. We make any character from a picture, so Mew, Meteora or Apple can be made to order too.
Want more from TV? See our TV show and movie character plush, or Muppet plush toys like Kermit the Frog. We're an independent studio: our Rugby Tiger is a handmade fan replica, not official or licensed Henson merchandise.
Rugby has to feel like the toy from the special: soft enough to hug, fluffy where the TV puppet was shaggy. These are the materials we use for him:
- Plush: the soft base fabric. It gives him that cuddly, squeezable body.
- Fur: synthetic fur for the striped orange coat and the white ruff around his face.
- Plastic eyes: his green eyes. They're sewn in or fixed with safety backings.
- Holofiber: synthetic stuffing that keeps him plump and warm to hold.
Everything is safe and eco-friendly. So Rugby can sit on a shelf next to your old VHS tapes, or get hugged by a kid who is just meeting him now.
Making this toy usually takes 2–4 weeks.
Rugby isn't cut from a stock pattern. His long striped arms and legs, the big paw pads, the ruff and the smiling face are shaped and sewn by hand for your order. The face takes the most care: a small shift in the eyes or the smile changes who he looks like.
When he's finished, we send you photos. You approve him, and then he's packed for shipping.
Delivery times depend on where you live, the shipping company and method you pick, and whether it's close to a holiday. Delivery can take up to 20 business days, and sometimes only 7.
Holidays are the busy season for couriers, and delays happen. If Rugby is meant for Christmas, keep in mind that December is exactly when the mail is slowest.
If your Rugby needs to arrive by a specific date, count the usual 2–4 weeks of making plus delivery when you order. He makes a good gift after Christmas too.
We've been making custom plush toys since 2009, and complex characters like Rugby are our everyday work: long limbs, a fur ruff, a face that has to look right from every angle.
You see your toy in photos before it ships. And once he's home, the risk still sits with us.
If you're not happy with our craftsmanship for any subjective reason within 14 days, we'll refund your money.
No long explanations needed. A childhood favorite should feel right when you hold it, and if yours doesn't, you get your money back.
What the Owner of This Toy Said
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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.
