Plush Animals Inspired by Nature

Nature and its surroundings has become part of my inspiration for creating stuffed animals. I love plush animals, both those manufactured by many fine companies, and those cleverly handmade by fiber artists.

Animals and birds, insects and fish, all abound in the flora and fauna of Nature. Let's take a walk through the woods and see what we can find, then bring nature indoors with a Plush version.

Birds are winged, have two legs, and are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species. They are found across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the 2 inch Bee Hummingbird to the 10 foot Ostrich. Information from Wikipedia.

Children recognize the word Bird and know what birds look like from an early age. Birds are a favorite part of nature to little ones.

From realistic plush birds with authentic sounds licensed by Audubon to a child's favorite Big Bird from Sesame Street to the fun little Looney Tunes "Tweety-Bird", Amazon has a delightful selection of plush birds that appeal to adult collectors and children alike.

Angry birds began life as a video game in 2009, based on a sketch of a wingless bird. The game was released by Apple in 2010 and became a runaway hit. It branched out to a variety of related video games and even a board game and a TV show. Merchandize from this popular bird now includes plush toys, music, books and films.

The latest version of my crocheted plush owl is Oliver, an Amigurumi version created in tan and brown yarn. He's happily sitting in a tree here in Savannah, Georgia! (Very rare to see him out in the daytime -- perhaps it's because he's a 'plushie'.) :-)

Oliver (you can call him Ollie) can be seen in several views at his perch at Coastal Crochet Crafts at Etsy.

And Adored in Plush Form

There are over 200 species of owls found in almost all parts of the earth. With their small beaks and wide faces and large forward-facing eyes with a circle of feathers around them, we find owls a most appealing creature. And nowhere else are they more popular than in 'plush' form.

In nature, owls come in fairly standard colors.... browns & tans, white, grey and black. Owls as stuffed yarn creations can be all sorts of whimsical colors.... for instance, pink owls are nice! :)

Handmade in Crochet

This honey bee would like to be a plush pet in a child's room instead of a worker bee in the beehive.

Handmade in crochet using yellow and black acrylic yarn, this happy Honey Bee measures 6 inches tall and 4 inches wide across her body (not counting her legs). Her wings are done in white yarn. She is softly filled with new polyester polyfil. Her features are embroidered in yarn and embroidery thread. She can be found in the Etsy shop of Coastal Crochet Crafts.

Lady Bugs are very small insects, and are commonly yellow, orange, or scarlet with small black spots on their wing covers, with black legs, head and antennae. Lady Bugs are found worldwide and they are generally considered useful insects as many species feed on pests in gardens.

Most children know the "Ladybug! Ladybug! Fly away home..." nursery rhyme and think Lady Bugs are cute and fun. Fly with me below and see some Lady Bugs in Plush!

Featured in the Etsy shop of Coastal Crochet Crafts

This is a sweet little red Lady Bug Plushie, very squeezable and hugable and just the right size for little hands.

Did you know that Lady Bugs in nature come in orange & yellow, as well as the well-known Red?

Can Read a Lady Bug Book Together!

In the storybook Ten Little Ladybugs, one by one, ten tactile bugs disappear. Where did they all go? Young ones will love finding this out as they feel their way through the sturdy, colorful pages of this innovative book. The cute critters provide a hands-on learning experience and the rhyming text reinforces the counting concept.

*Reading Level: ages 4-8. Not recommended for children under 3.

Make Great "Plush" Pets

One of Nature's most popular animals, especially with children, is the Turtle! Turtles come in many sizes, from the gigantic Sea Turtles to the tiny little baby turtles found in ponds. This crocheted version is just such a 'baby!'

This Amigurumi turtle toy created by Tara, an Australian crafter, can be found in her Etsy Shop Tara's Joy Toys.

Especially in Plush

From the largest turtle, the leatherback sea turtle, to the tiniest turtle in the world, the speckled turtle of South Africa, turtles fascinate children.

A caterpillar is the larval form of some insects, such as moths and butterflies. They are also known as the 'leafworm' and also called an inchworm due to their characteristic looping gait. In the agriculture world, they are considered plant pests, but kids love them all fuzzy and cute. And they look adorable designed in a cute and/or cuddly way, such as this colorful caterpillar shown here. :)

Cute as a plush toy is this Cuddly Caterpillar created in teal and white, making it perfect for a new baby gift or to decorate a baby boy's room.

Created by a crochet crafter on Etsy, Caterpillar has five (5) sections all crocheted together in alternating teal & white yarn.. Features include teal eyes and a pink mouth, with teal 'antennae' on the top of the head. Each segment following the head has little 'feet' in yarn.

Baby Toy Caterpillar measures about 14 inches long and is 3" across and 3" high. It's very soft and cuddly! It can be found in the Etsy Shop of Coastal Crochet Crafts

As defined in Wikipedia, frogs are amphibians characterized by long hind legs, a short body, webbed digits (fingers or toes), protruding eyes and the absence of a tail. Frogs are widely known as exceptional jumpers. They are often semi-aquatic, but can move easily on land.

Ask a child to describe a frog and he'll tell you a frog is Green and can 'jump', and he'll 'demonstrate by 'jumping' like a frog while chanting "ribbit, ribbit".

A big floppy, full of fun Frog for the enjoyment of children.

This cute frog is hand-crocheted in acrylic yarn in two shades of green with black & white yarn frog eyes. Frog is filled with soft polyfil stuffing. He reminds me of a famous frog named Kermit! :)

Frog measures 22 inches long and 5 inches wide. He sits about 8 inches tall. His arms are 11 inches long and his legs are 15 inches long. His arms and legs are jointed, made in 3 pieces each, and are fun to pose.

Floppy frog is a very hugable plush animal and fun to have around. He's found in the Etsy Shop of Coastal Crochet Crafts.

In the Intro I showed you a picture of a Plush Frog. Now I'd like to introduce him. His name is Phillip and he was hand-crocheted by me. This is his story....

Phillip's skin is green as grass

And he loves to jump and splash.

Phillip the Frog is handmade and is my interpretation in crochet of one of Nature's favorite creatures.

Phillip is a funny frog

He wears a great big smile

He's happy and playful

And would like to stay with you awhile.

Phillip has hopped away to a new home, but can be created 'just-for-you' upon request. :-)

Hope You Enjoyed It

Phillip the Funny Frog and I would like to thank you for taking this "Walk through the Woods" with us. We've enjoyed our Nature Walk among these plushies inspired by nature, and hope you have too.