Sophie la Girafe turns 60: How this teething toy became a must-have baby product
She is soft, chewy and very loved.
In 1961, a small giraffe teething toy was born. Made from natural rubber and non-toxic colouring, Sophie la girafe is now the world’s premium baby teether.
Since her creation, 60 years ago, 70 million units of Sophie giraffe toys have been sold worldwide. She is exported to 85 countries and in France, between 700,000 and 750,000 Sophies are sold every year.
That equates to one Sophie sold for every French baby born – now, that is a lot of babies cutting their teeth on this quintessential toy.
Since launching 60 years ago, 70 million units of Sophie la girafe have been sold worldwide.
Why do babies love gnawing on Sophie la girafe? Thanks to its flexible texture and many parts to nibble on (ears, horns, nose and feet), she is the ideal ally for soothing baby’s gums during teething.
Babies love to put Sophie’s legs in their mouth so they can chew the entire length of their gum bed. Most other teethers can only help with the front teeth, and not when baby is growing the rear teeth.
Sophie la giraffe is made from 100% natural rubber derived from the latex of a Malaysian Hevea tree.
Parents can rest assured knowing the toy is safe as it is made from 100% natural rubber and food-safe paint.
While helping to develop bub’s fine motor skills, Sophie stimulates each of their five senses:
TOUCH: The soft 100% natural rubber is comforting to touch, feeling almost like skin. Sophie is lightweight and at only 18cm she is easy for little hands to grip.
SIGHT: At the age of three months, a baby’s eyesight is still limited and he can only make out high contrasts. Therefore, the dark spots on the giraffe provide visual stimulation.
SOUND: When pressed Sophie squeaks allowing bub to be alerted to noise. While stimulating baby’s hearing, the squeak noise will also help your little one to understand the link between cause and effect.
TASTE: As she is made from 100% natural rubber and food paint, Sophie is safe to chew perfect for soothing a baby’s sore gums during teething.
SMELL: The singular scent of natural rubber from the Hevea tree makes Sophie la girafe very special and easy for your child to identify amid all his other toys.
Each Sophie toy is hand-painted with unique dark spots providing visual stimulation for babies.
For generation of parents, Sophie la girafe has been a go-to teething toy with celebrity A-listers such as Naomi Watts, Uma Thurman, Miranda Kerr, Madonna, Nicole Richie, Jessica Alba, Elton John and Kim Kardashian among the many fans.
To find out more about Sophie la girafe, visit Les Folies.
Brought to you by Les Folies.
