What’s your favourite Jelly?
A few years ago, your answer would have been either strawberry, blackcurrant, or tropical.
But today, it’s more likely to be Smudge Rabbit, Amusable Peanut or Timmy Turtle.
That’s because Jellies, as they’re known, are the wonderfully quirky plush toys created by the brand Jellycat.
And, in recent years, they’ve gone viral on social media.
Personally, I get the hype. My own Jellycat collection is growing slowly (my newest addition is this slithery guy, aww), and I’m now fully committed to these cute lil’ weirdos.
And I’m certainly not alone. Search interest for Jellycat has grown by an insane 208% over the past year, and the brand’s current volume of searches online is 8.8 million per month.
In money terms, that’s an increase of 37% in sales to £200m in December 2023, with profits of £67m.
But what is it about these stuffed toys that’s suddenly causing such success for a brand that’s been around since the late 1990s? And what can your brand learn from them?
TL;DR: You can try and make your brand go viral by cultivating a loyal fanbase where your audience feels they’re a part of your success story.
If you’re wanting to speedrun the drama and jellify your brand, check out our range of super cute branded promotional plushies. They might not be Jellycats, but these fuzzy creatures will capture your audience’s hearts and help promote your brand just the same, one merch snuggle at a time.
Find your perfect branded promotional companion today!
Jellycat is a brand of premium plush stuffed toys made famous by their never-ending, endearing designs.
From bears and birds to sports, objects and food & drink, they’ve turned almost everything into an adorable plushie for you to adopt. They’re most famous for their Bashful Bunnies - and if you’ve had a baby in the last 10 years, you’ve probably been gifted one of these lovable rascals.
Jellycat’s goal, according to their mascot Jack Jellycat, is to stay playful and “always share their joy with others”.
Jellycat was started on a blustery, autumnal day (let’s imagine) by two brothers, Thomas and William Gatacre. It was 1999, and the toy industry was deep in a Beanie Baby-fuelled, Furby-haunted, Pokemon-trading mania.
However, at the start of 2000, Ty Warner, the founder of Ty Inc. (the creators of Beanie Babies), announced he would no longer be creating the cuddly critters. This caused an uproar amongst collectors, and the market was flooded with hoarded stock. This burst the bubble of the Beanie Baby craze, and left a plushie-shaped hole in a lot of consumers’ hearts.
A hole that Jellycat were quick to fill.
With Bashful Bunnies and Bartholemew Bears, the brothers wanted to reinvigorate and revitalise the stuffed toy industry - think more cuteness, less “taxidermy”.
Over the next 25 years, Jellycat leapt into our homes (and our arms) as the go-to must-have plushie for all ages.
And in 2018, the brothers were on the Sunday Times Rich List, with a company value of £155m.
The company is now estimated to be worth over £200m, with the plush toy market in general a whopping $11 billion.
Takeaway: Jellycat show no signs of fading from our social feeds or high street shelves anytime soon.
The Jellycat logo is a cat named Jack wearing a jelly as a hat, thanks to Thomas’ son.
The 7-year-old was asked what his favourite things were. His answer? Jelly and cats.
How’s that for a logo origin story?
Yes, and no. Jellycats have risen to fame and popularity across the world, just like Beanie Babies did in the 1990s, but for completely different reasons.
Beanie Babies became popular due to their bean-filled bodies that allowed them to be positioned into different poses. Their designs, although cute, were often quite simple and kept within the ‘plush animal’ category. They became collectables, and designs were discontinued fast to increase desirability and value (at the time). They were cheap to purchase initially, as their target audience was first and foremost children with their pocket money.
Jellycats, on the other hand, have become popular (from a product perspective) for their softness and high-quality materials. Their quirky designs get weirder and more wonderful with each stock release, and the price points match this rise in creative ingenuity by increasing rapidly (making them more attuned to the wallets of adults).
Read more: Do you remember these games from your childhood?
If your TikTok (and let's be real, any social media) feed hasn’t got at least one Jellycat video on it, clap clap we owe you a Jellycat (this is not legally binding).
That’s because Jellycat has soared to TikTok stardom faster than an F1 sports car. You could say they are the Ferrari of the plushie world, turning social media adorable.
Read more: How Ferrari built an empire on branding & merchandise
Jellycat content varies - from creators excitedly unboxing deliveries, introducing their followers to their collections, to discovering rare Jellycats in the most unlikely places (usually charity shops). People across the world are bonding over their jelly-love and sharing this joy with others.
And that’s ultimately how Jellycat became more than just a quirky plushie brand; it’s now a wholesome online community sharing its love of all things cute.
And it’s not a small community. There are now over 220,000 members on the r/Jellycatplush subreddit, as well as over 1.6 million followers on the official Jellycat TikTok page.
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The online Jellycat community is a rare one because everyone is just so LOVELY.
There’s no hate. No competition. No horribleness that comes with other online communities.
Just: “Have you seen the Jellycat ukelele?! I NEED HIM.”
Or: “I’ve ordered Pip Monster, who’s been on my wishlist FOR FOREVER.”
And of course: “I FINALLY FOUND A PINE CONE!!”
Collectors share, comment, like and build friendships over their Jellycat hobby, creating and building traction for the brand.
This, paired with product scarcity and discontinued designs, makes hunting down your next Jelly (one that you inevitably fell in love with thanks to someone else sharing their beloved Jellies on your feed) a team effort. One the community rallies behind each and every day.
“I thought I was a weirdo for collecting them, and then I discovered a whole community online.”
Nell Richards, Jellycat Collector
Basically, if you need some plushie cheerleaders, join the Jellycat community.
“Girlhood is looking at the Jellycat website together.”
Jellycat Collector
And let’s face it, you can’t look at a Jellycat, even this Amusable Toilet Roll, and not think it’s cute, right? Having content go viral is just so much easier when the product is as adorable as these guys.
We’re dubbing it The Jellycat Effect.
By adding two little eyes and that signature cheeky grin to anything (absolutely anything), you’re onto an Instagrammable, TikTok-trending, community-building winning strategy.
Because SCIENCE.
If we find something cute, we want to protect and nurture it. This cuteness floods our brains with emotion and pleasure, triggering empathy and compassion. That’s why we get so attached to these inanimate objects: thanks to our brain chemistry.
Plus, when we interact with something ‘cute’, feelings of happiness, warmth and a protective instinct are evoked, making adding just one more Jellycat to your collection hard to resist.
And it’s not just Jellycat that is pulling at our heartstrings. Recently, brands like Loved Before have increased in popularity as we can’t bear to see our sweet plushies abandoned in landfills.
So, the next time a Jelly catches your eye, it’s not your fault you have to buy it and bring it home - it’s just science.
“Sometimes I love him so much I cry.”
Jellycat Little Snake Review
Part of the online appeal of Jellycat is that there are just so many to choose from, you almost ‘gotta catch 'em all!’ - the catchphrase of another popular collectable from the 90s.
(It’s Pokémon).
New designs are released seasonally (and in limited runs), known as Jelly Drops, heralding the retirement of others. You feel like you have to make a purchase as soon as you can, because it might not be there tomorrow (or even later that evening).
True story: I told myself every day for a month, “Buy that Malachy dragon today.” And guess what? It’s already out of stock.
And the number of new characters introduced is just insane. In 2023, Jellycat submitted an incredible 255 design applications - get their designers a coffee and a sweet treat, PLEASE.
When new collections are launched, you have to have viper-quick reflexes with the ‘Add to Bag’ CTA, otherwise you’ll most likely have to cry into your non-Jellycat plushie. Ew.
Yummy Mouse, you will be mine one day.
And some designs turn the community into a frenzy. Think back a few years to the Fergus Frog drama. The then-discontinued frog was selling online for hundreds of pounds, all because he’d only been available for a year back in 2019 before being retired. He was rereleased in 2024 for Jellycat’s 25th birthday, but there’s still this 2019 one listed on eBay for over £500.
And most recently, there’s been the popularity of the Fabulous Fruit Cherry, where demand for it has increased by 194% thanks to a TikTok trend of hanging it in your car.
Jellycat saw what everyone was sharing online - with their tailored niche collections - and decided to raise the bar a step (no, a LEAP) further with their jaw-dropping global events.
Or, should we say jelly-dropping?
From London to Paris to New York and Shanghai, Jellycat changed the game on what ‘going viral’ meant for a toy company.
They created unique IRL (in real life) experiences for their fans to explore exclusive, limited-edition jellies.
In Paris: a patisserie full of all the Parisian treats you could ever wish for - macarons, croissants and mille-feuille, all in Jellycat format, served up by the chefs themselves.
In London: a quintessential fish & chips van in the heart of London’s Selfridges. Get your regular order with a side of cuteness.
In New York: a diner with mouthwatering pancakes and burgers.
And it’s not just the jellies you get. There’s a performance for every purchase by the staff, bringing your new treat to life. It’s experience marketing at its finest.
And because they’re limited, location-based events, only a lucky few are actually able to enjoy them in person. This means that the only way a large proportion of Jellycat’s fan base can participate in the jelly magic is through others filming and sharing their trips online.
Hello, another viral moment for Jellycat!
Thanks to the price point, their collectability, and designs, Jellycat’s popularity isn’t just with children and babies anymore, but with Millennials, Gen Z and even the elderly, too.
That’s because they aren’t just toys.
They’re souvenirs with character, decorations with quirks, thoughtful gifts with love.
And the vast majority of these demographics have social media accounts in which to share their joys.
And another fact with this new demographic: a lot of them rent. A big part of renting is that it’s pretty hard to get permission for pets. The solution: a fluffy friend that doesn’t require walking, food or anything else - because it’s a plushie.
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Jellycat’s quality, cuteness and quirkiness have also meant that they’ve become popular with celebrities - from 2008 when Suri Cruise was spotted with a Jellycat bunny, to 2015 when Princess Charlotte was photographed with a Fuddlewuddle puppy - Jellycat has been getting free publicity in the mainstream media thanks to the rich and famous for nearly 20 years now.
More recently, Kylie Jenner has shared her love of the brand, saying that her Jellycat peapod “brightens [her] day”. This has meant Jellycat have reached even more eyes and hearts from these celebrity followings, and has also completely changed the outlook of Jellycats being just for kids, giving adults the confidence to collect them, too.
Jellycats, Pokémon Go, The Barbie Movie, Lego - nostalgia marketing is everywhere now. Childhood favourites are being reinvented as movies, games, and products, as they’re guaranteed as surefire streams of revenue from loyal fans. Only recently was The Minecraft Movie released, and there are even more ideas ready and waiting to be dragged up from the depths of our childhoods (Sims movie, anyone?).
This marketing technique is so successful because it’s one of the best ways a brand can build an emotional connection with its audience.
It builds upon the trust forged by familiarity and happy memories.
And Jellycat is doing just that: building upon our love of cute things from childhood.
They’re cashing in on that warm, fuzzy feeling we feel thanks to a bed overflowing with plushies. On the safety and security that only a hug from a favourite stuffie can provide.
And we’re okay with that, because who doesn’t want to be transported back to those happy childhood memories?
It seems the answer to the question posed above is: everyone.
Because a big trend this year is that of ‘Kidulthood’.
Through playing with toys, collecting old childhood favourites and escaping the pressures of adulthood, the ‘Kidult’ trend is all about adults finding their inner kid in answer to the anxiety and pressures of modern life.
1 in 5 toys and games are bought by adults rather than kids.
And social media is a place many feel safe sharing these interests, where they get positive reinforcement and a hit of dopamine.
We’re reinventing what adulthood looks like, one toy at a time - and Jellycat is using this trend to their advantage.
Because you too can be a high-flying, successful career girlie AND have an impressive Jellycat collection at home. These are no longer exclusive.
And the reason for such a trend to even exist in the first place? Anxious, anxiety-riddled adults are trying to cope with the pressures of everyday life.
Julia’s Bookcase
After putting our collective mental health through the ringer thanks to Covid, a pandemic, and now the Cost of Living crisis, toys like Jellycat offer us a respite from the scary responsibilities of adulthood.
“Jellycat grew in this perfect storm of a post-pandemic need for escape, a need for comfort.”
Bia Bezamat, a cultural expert for the global marketing data company Kantar
Collecting Jellycat, especially, is seen as a form of self-care. In an uncertain world, knowing what Jellycat you’re going to get next is sometimes the only control you have.
“'Me needing the Jellycat burger is about the only thing I am sure of in life atm.”
Jellycat Collector
And for some, it goes beyond a cute aesthetic; Jellycats improve their mental health better than antidepressants.
“For therapy, I will scroll through the entire Jellycat website and screenshot the ones I like.”
Jellycat Collector
Stress is also a big issue that many of us are struggling with in our everyday lives. We often feel out of control and unsafe in our routines. But toys like Jellycats offer us respite from that, helping us to regulate our stress levels easily.
Susie Masterson, Psychotherapist
You’d think investment portfolios would only belong to corporate professionals, but you’re missing a trick - because Jellycat are now an investment favourite.
Gen Z have entered the chat.
More precisely, their wallets have.
Jellycat’s prices range from a respectable £15 to an eye-watering £1,000, with many sitting at around the £40 - £50 mark. The brand can get away with charging such a high amount for what amounts to some material with eyes because their customers will happily pay it.
That’s because Gen Z and Millennials (Jellycat’s new BBF demographics) have more of a disposable income than, say, your average 6-year-old.
And oh boy, do collectors spend spend spend.
One collector, Elle Lynn, 23, estimates she's spent £2,300 on her collection.
Another, Amanda Hope, 36, has spent around £3,000, she reckons.
Chloe Day’s, 25, collection: £8,000.
And how can collectors justify their spending? Because Jellycats are an investment.
“It’s like stocks. You have to sell something when it’s hot.”
Aria Babow, a stockist and Jellycat obsessor
Thanks to their online community, the Jellycat resale market is hugely successful, with consumers willing to spend £100s of pounds for a discontinued or rare Jelly that would have been worth £30 (if that) at shop value.
This does, however, mean a lot of people get priced out of getting their new buddies, and you can’t always trust what you’re buying.
Because the Jellycat resale market is so lucrative, there has been an increase in fakes being sold by untrustworthy sellers online.
Cleverly angled photos, or images stolen from other sources, are the go-to methods of trying to trick someone into making a purchase. And because the Jellycat community is such a lovely bunch, quite often innocent people are conned out of hundreds of pounds.
Luckily, in the Jellycat community, it’s a common occurrence for buyers to call out a seller who’s been selling fakes as the real deal.
But unfortunately, fakes are now so good, they’re really, really hard to spot.
Is the sign of a brand’s true success when it’s been duped by another? If that’s the case, then Jellycat is well on its way to being one of the most successful out there.
From Temu to Aldi, brands are eager to try and replicate the cutesy smiles of jellies at a fraction of the price.
But, as you can imagine, Jellycat isn’t too happy about this - they’ve even taken legal action against some.
Aldi’s dragon plushie was suspiciously “strikingly similar” to Jellycat’s dragon, and the brand soon caught wind of the toy everyone online was dubbing the ‘Jellycat dupe’.
Aldi denied a direct copy and design infringement, stating that it was just a dragon design like any other. Jellycat threatened legal action. Aldi stopped selling them.
But it’s not just Aldi. If you have a quick search of Jellycat dupes, you’ll be amazed at the number popping up online from reputable brands.
At least with the cheaper dupes, everyone can enjoy a cute plushie, whatever their budget.
There are some people, too, who aren’t just stopping at dupes and fakes to hop on the Jellycat money-making bandwagon.
People are now resorting to a life of crime to get their hands on resellable Jellycat stock.
Individuals and gangs are breaking into retailers to steal large quantities of Jellycats to resell at a premium online. The Gorge Bear Company in Somerset had around £20,000 worth of Jellycat and Charlie Bears (another popular plush brand) stolen. A mum even stole some from a shop by hiding them in her child’s pram.
This Jellycat crime wave has meant shops taking precautions to protect their stock - and unfortunately big ear tag alarms sort of ruin the magic of adopting your new fluffy friend.
As with any rise in fame, sometimes people get left behind.
One of the most endearing things about Jellycat is that they very much supported independent shops when they began. And vice versa. The brand relied on these boutique-esque shop fronts to add that air of whimsy to their brand, and it worked.
However, recently, a small independent shop in Hull called Hares & Graces has shared online that Jellycat informed them that they have been removed from their stockist list, with the comment: "It now appears we're not good enough for them and they're closing our account."
This has caused backlash for Jellycat from fans all over the world, shocked that the brand would close their account with their loyal supporters, with some even now boycotting the brand.
Jellycat have stayed silent on the matter, too.
And it’s poorly timed, as only recently have Liberty London (a very high-end shop in London) announced an exclusive collaboration with Jellycat with a range of Bartholmew Bears adorned with limited edition Liberty prints.
Fan of Hares & Graces
Update: Thanks to this Reddit discussion, the above actually has nothing to do with Jellycat abandoning independent shops, but rather changes in the industry that Jellycat are adapting to whilst trying to still keep the integrity of their product and community. Phew!
We’ve looked at why Jellycat went viral, and how (from a user perspective), but what can your brand learn from the new viral kid on the block and adapt into your own marketing strategy?
Jellycat have fully embraced, encouraged, and joined their online community to make one big happy plushie family.
And that’s because, to go viral, your community is everything, and interacting with them is key.
One way they’ve done this really well is to up their social game themselves, creating cutesy reels and stop-motion favourites, bringing their products to life in a way that they know will appeal to their audience.
Show up online. Interact with your supporters. Generate a buzz to ultimately drive sales.
Simple.
Don’t shy away from being bold. A combination of different trends, nostalgia marketing, etc. - whatever your next idea, it needs to be BOLD.
Jellycat know their launches are a big deal, so they ramp up the hype with exclusive sneak peeks and an excellent email marketing campaign.
UGC, or User-Generated Content, makes up the majority of Jellycat’s online strategy.
Because, with a community as active and besotted as the Jellycat one, why would you not?
Your brand may not have as much UGC as Jellycat does, but by embracing your community’s UGC and encouraging them to create it, you’re opening a two-way conversation with your audience - one that’s sure to give you some valuable insights.
By organically integrating consumers' needs, desires and opinions into your brand strategy, you immediately capture that authentic essence that comes from real, lived experiences.
It’s content that’ll resonate with your audience as it’s created by your audience.
One of the big reasons why Jellycat has shot to fame so fast is that it’s so hard to grab hold of the products as they’re released.
That might sound counterintuitive, but hear us out.
They have limited stock of everything, and even though they do bring back some designs now and again, more often than not, once it’s gone, it’s gone.
This creates a FOMO effect (Fear of Missing Out) for collectors. This means that it’s a flex if they manage to buy a character before it’s gone out of stock, whilst others are left empty-handed and disappointed…
…a disappointment that has you checking the website again. And again. And again, hoping and wishing for your new BFF to come back in stock (speaking from personal experience).
And what’s an extreme take on FOMO? Completely and utterly discontinuing lines.
Jellycat have taken this play straight out of the Beanie Baby handbook, but that’s because it works at driving sales.
From showcasing retired designs on their website like a plushie obituary list (which they’ve now removed - RIP) to axing best sellers at their peak (so long, Flumpie Frog).
Even if you look at any of Jellycat's own content, most of the comments are from people literally begging the brand to bring back certain designs.
This is something your brand can easily adopt into its own marketing strategy. By creating an artificial scarcity of your product (if it’s a good product), the demand for it will soar.
Nicola Tompkins, children’s store owner
And finally, one of the strangest things about Jellycat going viral? There hasn’t been a peep, nor a whisper, nor even a squeak, from their two founders.
The quote that keeps getting passed around in their absence? “Only the fans and the products do the talking at Jellycat.”
And that they do.
By celebrating Word-of-Mouth marketing, Jellycat are building trust in their brand. They’re amplifying their brand story and message organically by staying completely silent themselves.
By giving your audience the power to be your PR team, you’re putting your fate in their hands - and if they like you as a brand, then this is a win-win strategy (it has been for Jellycat, anyways).
Be brave, be Jellycat.
Read more: 5 Easy TikTok trends you should include in your 2025 marketing strategy
Want to jump aboard this trending toy train? Then grab yourself a ticket and let’s show you to your seat, because we’ve got your new brand BFF ready and waiting to meet you.
It’s predicted that in five years, the toy industry will be worth $24.5 billion in 2033.
Let’s get your brand a part of that, shall we?
From traditional teddies to fully bespoke besties, you can now jellify (and amplify) your brand with us.
Just check out what we did for Ruckus.
These fuzzy creatures will capture your audience’s hearts and help promote your brand at the same time.
Whatever industry you’re in, we’ll have the perfect companion for your marketing campaign.
You want your brand to appeal to your audience?
Gift them a cute promotional plushie.
Jellycat’s seemingly overnight success is ultimately thanks to its loyal community.
A community that champions the brand’s core values, whilst basically being their PR team.
And your brand can learn from them.
Sure, there are other viral brands out there with a similar loyal following.
They’ve either created humorous online personas (looking at you, Duolingo) or they shocked their viewers with organic UGC content that sent the world into a frenzy.
We all remember the Stanley Cup video, right?
What these brands, as well as Jellycat, have in common is their ability to tell a story about their brand through their product. They’re resilient (Stanley), they’re quirky (Duolingo), they’re lovable (Jellycat).
And it’s a story fans want to be a part of.
How come [insert brand name] is so successful? Their audience: We did that.
The line between brand and audience is fading, and Jellycat is at the forefront of erasing it.
So, according to Jellycat, how does your brand go viral? By cultivating a loyal fanbase where your audience feels they’re a part of your success story.
“They’re just these silly little things that exist purely to make you smile.”
Susie Masterson, Psychotherapist
(And, as a side note, my Jellycat wishlist has now doubled in size because of this post. Thanks, guys.)
And the best way of immersing your audience in your brand? With promotional merchandise, of course!
Make your brand a part of their story by incorporating branded products into your marketing strategy. With printed gifts, innovative new ideas and bespoke favourites, check out what’s hot in the world of promotional merchandise now.