Children are known to have a special, almost telepathic connection to horses. Small kids appear to have an innate sense of tact and respect for the large animals and their space – something horses immediately recognize and appreciate. Talking about the emotional depth of horses' souls is stating the obvious. Hence, children and horses often build a special link of understanding and empathy not all adults can understand. Somehow, the familiarity and relative availability of horses in our environment makes them less interesting as toys, plush toys in particular. Here zebras come to the rescue.

Zebras, unlike horses, can't be seen and communicated with outside the zoo (unless you live in Africa). They are animals that seem to possess all the great qualities of horses -- with the bonus of looking exotic and unusual -- which make them especially tempting as toys. Looking very much similar to horses in form, they are anything but in coloring, bearing distinctive black and white stripes that can make you dizzy if you try to count them or look at them for too long. (That's actually the purpose of this camouflage coloring: to confuse potential predators.) For kids, the black and white stripes make the plush animal toy a simple, lovable friend.

Toy makers create plush zebras that can withstand some riding (the large “specimens”), and slobbery attention – most are machine washable. Plush zebras often come in herds, or at least in pairs of a mother zebra and a little plush baby zebra that accompanies it: an important feature that teaches the kids about the animals' way of life in the wild. There are several variations, some making stress on realistic frame and patterns, others on cuteness. When the two overlap, the toy is very difficult to resist. The most popular zebra is the celebrity Marty from the animation movie Madagascar. Unlike its brothers, it can smile and bears human-like features – must be all that time spent in the zoo.