We’ve all seen them. The tiny stuffed animals, food items, and objects with the cute smiley faces on them. They’re adorable, and there are a million options to pick from. I’ll admit, the first time I saw a Jellycat, I think I gasped out loud. It was the tiniest little peanut with the cutest little legs. I needed to have it. Then I saw the price and gasped again: $23 for a stuffed peanut that was smaller than the palm of my hand. I hate to have to say it, but I bought it.
I was fine with my Jellycat peanut until TikTok introduced me to the world of Jellycat fanatics. I hadn’t realized how trendy they had become. From serious collectors to viral videos, the hype is everywhere. Meanwhile, my peanut happens to be one of the cheapest and smallest Jellycats. I love her, but I don’t think the obsession is entirely justified, and here are three reasons why.
They’re Expensive
Listen, I’m not saying I don’t want all of them, but are they really worth your money? I completely get buying one if you have a favorite food, animal, or flower and Jellycat made a stuffed version of it. But the way that people wait for Jellycats to drop or wait in lines in stores to grab them feels over the top.
Being willing to pay $40 for a stuffed hamburger is also excessive. The craziest part of all of it is that if you add the prices of all the Jellycats some collectors/creators have, it’s hundreds of dollars spent on stuffed animals.
The trend will Inevitably End
As big as Jellycats are now, like any other trend, they will fizzle out, and another trend will replace them. If you don’t believe me, remember Beanie Babies? They were all the rave, and then, like any other trend, they fell off. After, I was left with 20-something Beanie Babies and had no clue what to do with them. I think you should only buy Jellycats that you really like and not just buy them to buy them or to be on trend.
Dupes!
The only great thing that comes with Jellycat’s being as trendy as they are is that dupes are then created. I have the cutest “Jellycat” stuffed tulip, and I only paid $20 on Amazon (Amazon Tulip Plush) instead of the $40 (Jellycat Tulip Plush) I would’ve paid on the Jellycat website. Now, are the Amazon dupes perfect replicas? Absolutely not. But for the price difference, they are 100 percent worth it.
Listen, I’m by no means a Jellycat hater. I love them, if I’m being completely honest. My peanut and I are locked in. But I hate to see people fall into the trend trap since it happens every time. Stanley cups, Starface pimple patches, and UGG Tasman slippers are just a few examples of things that were trending and fizzled out over time. Then you’re stuck with five Stanley cups.
I think in today’s day and age, where things are so expensive, and we’re surviving on that college student budget, we shouldn’t be spending our money on cherries from Jellycat that could probably fund three or four Chipotle bowls. But, if you’re ever in New York and you walk by the Jellycat Diner, I don’t think it hurts to take a peek inside.
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