Filipino toymaker creates life-like pet plushies for grieving owners

A worker paints the face of a realistic pet plushie, at the Pampanga Teddy Bear Factory, in Angeles City, Pampanga province, Philippines, March 10, 2023. REUTERS/Lisa Marie David

MANILA — Toymaker David Tan in the Philippines is inundated with requests from heartbroken customers who want to honor their departed pets’ memories with plush toys.

Tan and a team of 20 employees use photos sent by customers to create life-like replicas of their deceased pets using synthetic fur that is airbrushed to recreate the colors and markings of the animals.

The process is different from taxidermy, which preserves the animal’s body, said Tan, owner of Pampanga Teddy Bear Factory.

“It removes that ‘ick’ factor. This is actually one hundred percent, genuinely a stuffed toy,” he said.

Each plushie costs about P3,500 (US$65), which 38-year-old dog lover Jaja Lazarte said is worth paying for her Shih Tzu’s memory.

“Although his ashes are here, and his memories are here, it’s so much better to see something that really resembles him,” Lazarte said.

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