Sophie the Giraffe is a

teether A teether, teething toy, or chew toy is a device given to teething infants. Most modern teethers are silicone, but can also be made of wood or rubber. Some teethers are filled with a fluid or gel that can be frozen or refrigerated. They differ fr ...

– a toy for

teething Teething is the process by which an infant's first teeth (the deciduous teeth, often called "baby teeth" or "milk teeth") appear by emerging through the gums, typically arriving in pairs. The mandibular central incisors are the first primary te ...

infants to chew on – in the form of a hevea rubber giraffe.

History

The toy has been made in France (as ''Sophie la Girafe'') since 1961, first in

Asnières-sur-Oise Asnières-sur-Oise (, literally ''Asnières on Oise'') is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France. The 13th–18th century Royaumont Abbey is located in the commune. Population Twin towns * Cutigliano, Ita ...

, near

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

by Delacoste then from 1991 by Vulli based in Rumilly in the

French Alps The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such as ...

. Its name refers to its launch on 25 May 1961, the feast day of Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat. It has achieved national icon status in France, according to '' Slate'', with more sold each year (816,000 in 2010) than babies are born (796,000). Sophie is also popular in the United States where the toy has been available for decades and even appeared in the movie ''

Three Men and a Baby ''Three Men and a Baby'' is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Leonard Nimoy. It stars Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson as three bachelors as they attempt to adapt their lives to de facto fatherhood with the arrival of the love ...

'' (1987) and where it has become the best-selling baby product offered by

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential econo ...

. Launched in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in the trendy Hollywood area, it became popular through

word of mouth Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...

, especially on Amazon.com since 2008. The reasons proposed for this success are that it is marketed as eco-friendly and a growing consumer mistrust of the security and health standards of products made in China since 2007. In 2009, Sophie was recognized as Product of the Year by the

American Specialty Toy Retailing Association The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, or ''ASTRA'', is an organization of manufacturers, manufacturers representatives, distributors and retailers of specialty toys (as compared to mass market product). The American Specialty Toy Re ...

Health concerns

The November 2011 issue of German consumer magazine ''Öko-Test'' reported that Sophie the Giraffe should not be sold in Germany due to a violation of statutory limit values for nitrosatable substances. The test found 0.781 mg/kg, while the German ''Bedarfsgegenständeverordnung'' (BedGgstV) consumer food and product standard provides for a limit of 0.1 mg/kg. Vulli initially said that another regulation applies, the EU guidelines for toys, with a limit of 1 mg/kg, and obtained a preliminary injunction of the District Court in Berlin banning publication of ''Öko-Test''s report. The story was removed from the magazine's website. This injunction was lifted in January 2012. The ''Chemische und Veterinäruntersuchungsamt Stuttgart'' (CVUA) reproduced ''Öko-Test''s claims resulting in the German

Technischer Überwachungsverein TÜVs (; short for german: Technischer Überwachungsverein, en, Technical Inspection Association) are internationally active, independent service companies from Germany and Austria that test, inspect and certify technical systems, facilities an ...

(TÜV) safety agency pressing charges against Vulli, and ''Öko-Test'' restored the online report to their web site. Vulli responded by recalling Sophie the Giraffe and similar products from German retailers, and offering to exchange it with one produced on or after March 2012, which Vulli says adhere to the stricter German limit.''Öko-Test''s summary of the claims, response, court actions and recall (in German)
,'Öko-Test', June 9, 2012.

References

{{reflist, 30em 1960s toys Rubber toys Toy brands Toy animals Fictional giraffes