The is having a big moment.

B次元官网网址� a semi-aquatic relative of the guinea pig B次元官网网址� is the latest in a long line of B次元官网网址渋tB次元官网网址� animals to get star treatment during the holiday shopping season.

Shoppers can find capybara slippers, purses, robes and bath bombs. There are cuddly plush capybaras and stretchy or squishy ones. Tiny capybaras wander across bedding, T-shirts, phone cases, mugs, key chains and almost any other type of traditional gift item.

Last year, it was the axolotl that took pride of place on many products, and remains popular. Owls, , foxes and sloths also had recent turns in the spotlight.

Trendy animals and animal-like creatures ; think the talking Teddy Ruxpin toys of the 1980s or Furby and a decade later. But industry experts say which animals are hot B次元官网网址� or not.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 really the launch on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms that allow these characters or animals to blow up like crazy,B次元官网网址� said Richard Derr, who has owned a Learning Express Toys franchise in Lake Zurich, Ill., for nearly 30 years and is also a regional manager for the specialty toy store chain.

Social media is also speeding up the cycle. Must-have animals may only last a season before customersB次元官网网址� imaginations.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 really important to keep feeding that beast,B次元官网网址� Juli Lennett, a vice president and toy industry advisor at market research firm Circana, said. B次元官网网址淚f you are an influencer, youB次元官网网址檙e not going to talk about last yearB次元官网网址檚 stuff.B次元官网网址�

Skyrocketing plush toy sales B次元官网网址� fueled by a during the pandemic B次元官网网址� are also increasing the demand for new and interesting varieties, Lennett said. In the first nine months of this year, sales of plush animals were up 115% from the same period in 2019, she said. Overall toy sales rose 38% in that time.

Consumers are seeking out increasingly exotic species that they see in online videos, games and movies. Highland cows, red pandas and axolotls, a type of salamander native to Mexico, have all popped up in popular culture. According to Google Trends, searches for axolotls shot up in June 2021 after to its game.

B次元官网网址淣obody knew what an axolotl was in 2020,B次元官网网址� Derr said. B次元官网网址淣ow, everybody knows axolotls.B次元官网网址�

Cassandra Clayton, a product designer, said rising are also fueling the demand for unique B次元官网网址� and collectible B次元官网网址� plush toys.

B次元官网网址淪tuffed animals are really becoming an ageless item,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淓specially with the boom of self-care in adults and turning towards comfort objects to help de-stress and relax in your life.B次元官网网址�

Clayton expects demand for unusual stuffed animals to continue to grow. Among the oddest she has seen: a stuffed version of , a type of microorganism also known as a moss piglet or a tardigrade.

B次元官网网址淚t doesnB次元官网网址檛 necessarily inspire you to cuddle with them, but youB次元官网网址檙e really seeing the industry start turning towards those characters,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 think thatB次元官网网址檚 the next trend.B次元官网网址�

Figuring out the next B次元官网网址渋tB次元官网网址� animal B次元官网网址� or microorganism B次元官网网址� is a challenge for .

B次元官网网址淵ou never know exactly when theyB次元官网网址檙e going to hit and how big theyB次元官网网址檙e going to be,B次元官网网址� said Sharon Price John, the president and CEO of , a chain of nearly 500 stores that offers an expanding menagerie of animals and characters for customers to customize, including capybaras and axolotls.

The St. Louis-based company watches social media and gets ideas from talking to store employees and patrons, John said. It usually takes Build-A-Bear up to a year to introduce a new stuffed toy, she said, but the company can move faster if it spots a trend. It sometimes tests a small batch online to make sure a trend is sticking, John said.

Annual trade shows in Asia, Germany and elsewhere are another place to spot new trends. Punirunes B次元官网网址� digital, interactive pets that also come in plush varieties B次元官网网址� are big in Japan right now and will likely take off in the U.S., toy store owner Derr said.

B次元官网网址淗ere, I canB次元官网网址檛 give them away. TheyB次元官网网址檙e too new. But give it a year or two,B次元官网网址� he said.

Companies can kick off their own trends too. Build-A-BearB次元官网网址檚 Spring Green Frog, introduced in 2020, was an immediate hit thanks to videos posted by customers. It remains popular, with nearly 2 million sold, John said.

John suspects people are drawn to friendly, slow-moving capybaras because watching videos of them are so relaxing. But shoppers who want one need to act fast. A Build-A-Bear holiday capybara with red and green sprinkles on its fur B次元官网网址� dubbed a B次元官网网址渃ookiebaraB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� has already sold out, she said.

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Durbin reported from Detroit. Crawford reported from Lake Zurich, Ill.

Dee-ann Durbin, Teresa Crawford And Jeff Roberson, The Associated Press