This Holiday Season, Soft and Squishy Rule


00:00
Speaker 1
Hey prime members, you can listen to business wars daily ad free on Amazon Music. Download the app today.


00:06
Speaker 2
Did you know discover wants everyone to feel special?


00:09
Speaker 3
That's why with your discover card, you.


00:11
Speaker 2
Have access to service as well as zero dollar fraud liability, which means you're never held responsible for unauthorized purchases. Learn more@discover.com credit card it limitations apply.


00:28
Speaker 3
Wondering I'm David Brown, and this is business wars daily on this December 15. Happy Friday, everybody. This holiday season, major ceos are going soft. And I mean really soft. Dare I say plush? The ceos in question are all heads of major toy companies, and it appears they're all leaning into the season's hottest gift plush toys. The softer and squishier, the better. While overall toy sales are down 8% compared to 2022, plush toy sales are up 4% for the year, according to market research firm Circana. In October 2020, plush toy sales hovered at $846,000,000 this past October, 1.7 billion. So it makes sense that toy makers are trying to capitalize on the plush flush, if you will. Beverly Hills teddy bear calls itself, quote, the cuddliest, softest, squishiest toy company on the planet. End quote. The company is serious about softness.


01:37
Speaker 3
So serious that CEO David Sosha told the Wall Street Journal that they think about plush the same way other people think about thread count in sheets. The average stuffed toy, Sosha said, may be covered in 300 to 400 threads per inch. His company toys have 1000 plus threads per inch. The result is a softness that Sosha calls, quote, buttery silky cloud soft that is cool to the touch. End quote. The company's marketing zeroes in on that message, too.


02:06
Speaker 1
So soft, so cute, it feels like hugging a cloud.


02:11
Speaker 3
While the average price of plush costs around $2 a yard, Socha says he uses a polyester that costs five times that for Beverly Hills's plushiest toys, he told the Journal. It was the Taj Mahal of fabrics, and the touching, it stimulates every nerve in your hand. Wow. But Socha and Beverly Hills teddy bear aren't the only ones focused on plush this season. Ty, that's the company behind Beanie babies, has been experimenting with ultra soft materials, too. In May, the company switched its beanie babies to what executive Ty Warner called, quote, the same fabric used by top fashion brands in the world, end quote. It's simple, he told the Journal. Soft sells. Kids, of course, drive the majority of the plush toy market. But companies like Beverly Hills and Ty have also benefited from the growing so called kidult market, in which, you guessed it.


03:02
Speaker 3
Folks well past childhood lean into the nostalgia of stuffed toys. The journal spoke to a 28 year old who had nearly 100 plush toys, which she uses as couch pillows. She said, quote, soft, squishable, and comfortable were her main requirements. Soft, squishable? Hard to argue with that. And head honchos at leading toy brands agree. They're hoping that the next few weeks bring a spike in cuddly purchases and that the plush toy market never goes soft. From wondering this is business wars daily. I'm your host, David Brown. Written and produced by Jesse Armoski. Our executive producers are Tina Rubio and Marshall Louis.


03:58
Speaker 1
Hey, Prime members. You can listen to business wars daily ad free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. Or you can listen ad free with wondery plus in Apple Podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at slash survey.


04:16
Speaker 2
You know, in today's world, it seems the best treatment is reserved for only a few. Well, discover wants to change that by making everyone feel special.


04:24
Speaker 3
That's why with your discover card, you.


04:26
Speaker 2
Have access to service as well as zero dollar fraud liability, which means you are never held responsible for unauthorized purchases. Finally, no matter who you are or where you are in life, you'll feel special with Discover. Learn more@discover.com credit card limitations apply.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

U.S. Strikes Houthi Forces & Oregon Lawmaker’s Reelection Bid | Afternoon Update | 2.1.24

00:00 Speaker 1 This episode is brought to you by Netsuite. Download Netsuite's popular KPI checklist, designed to give you consistently excellent performance. Absolutely free@netsuite.com. Slash Morningwire that's Netsuite.com slash Morningwire. 00:15 Speaker 2 I'm Daily Wire editor in chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Thursday, February 1, and this is your morningwire afternoon update. 00:24 Speaker 3 Us military forces carried out a self defense strike against houthi unmanned aerial vehicles. 00:30 Speaker 4 And a ground control station early this morning. Daily Wire senior editor Cabot Phillips has more. 00:36 Speaker 5 According to CENTCOM, the military determined that a recently discovered uav ground control station, as well as a number of uavs in the houthi controlled areas of Yemen, presented an immediate threat to ships passing through the Bob Elmandeb Strait. As a result, CENTCOM says, the station was hit along with ten one way u...
Read more

Ukraine's $30 Billion Problem

00:05 Speaker 1 For the last two years, Ukraine has been fighting off a russian invasion. And this effort is exhausting and costly. To keep the country running, Ukraine has been relying on tens of billions of dollars from the US and the EU. But now that money me isn't flowing, what's at stake if Ukraine doesn't get. 00:31 Speaker 2 This money for Ukraine, the money that it's waiting on from the US and the EU determines its ability to fight the war? I think there's no way around that. Everybody agrees that it's extremely critical. 00:47 Speaker 1 That's our colleague Chelsea Delaney, and we're. 00:51 Speaker 2 Talking both about military aid, so ammunition, drones, all of those things, and as well, the money that the government needs to keep meeting its obligations to the people in Ukraine. So all of that is hung up right now. And without either the US or the EU, Ukraine's ability to fight, Russia is going to be severely constrained....
Read more

Border Bill Drama & Neuralink’s First Implant | 1.31.24

00:03 Speaker 1 While bipartisan negotiations over a border bill continue, many Republicans say it's dead on arrival. Instead of deterring immigration, they're literally incentivizing illegal immigration. They're handing people a parole and a work permit. Day one. That has to stop. 00:19 Speaker 2 When will the Senate share the full text of the bill? And can President Biden take unilateral executive action? 00:25 Speaker 1 I'm daily Wire editor in chief John Bickley with Georgia Howe. It's Wednesday, January 31, and this is Morning wire. 00:37 Speaker 3 Guys, this is not allowed, guys. Asking you to leave property. Or are we calling all the police? Have it your way. 00:50 Speaker 1 Six pro life protesters face eleven years in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines after being convicted of face act violations. Is this a case of political targeting? 01:02 Speaker 2 And Elon Musk announces his biotech company has implanted their ...
Read more