Chinese consumers may be unfamiliar with this American brand, but Gund was a pioneer in the innovation of plush toys in the United States at the end of the 20th century, especially in the early education category. In the 70s of the last century, Gund set up a product line for the infant market, Baby Gund, and formed a market layout based on early education and soothing plush toys, and has won the Australian Toy Association (A.T.A) Best Plush Toy Award, Best Teddy Bear Award (TOBY), and the product has been rated as the best gift choice by parent-child magazines for many times.
In 2018, Gund was acquired by the new toy giant Spin Master, and sales grew against the trend in the sluggish plush toy market. Gund's product designs are typical of American plush toys, with a passion for using electronic interactions, bright colors, and bold lines to add playfulness. The sound and light unicorn, which won the Best Plush Toy Award in 17 years, is a combination of plush toys and lights to create a dreamy effect, but unfortunately, this unicorn is currently mainly sold in North America and has not been introduced to the Chinese market on a large scale.
In terms of overall quality, the quality and workmanship of Baby Gund are among the best in the entire Gund. The shy baby elephant, which has been voted the best gift choice by Business Insider magazine, is a representative work of the series, priced at 308 yuan on Taobao, and the most distinctive thing is its interactive mode. There are two function buttons on the left and right legs of the baby elephant, the right side is the hide and seek function, after pressing, the ears of the baby elephant will be lowered to cover the eyes, and then raised after a while, and the left side will play an English song sung by a 5-year-old boy, which has a strong function of early education and comfort for children.
The Shy Animal series also has a variety of appearances such as rabbits, monkeys, bears, etc., and each animal has a different interaction pattern. Despite the novelty of the interactive design of the toy, there are still some shortcomings, such as the unadjustable volume of the singing and the inability to change songs. It is important to note that rechargeable batteries such as Nanfu are not recommended due to the different output voltages, as they may cause the toy to not work.
The Pomeranian series, which won the Best Teddy Bear Award, is popular in the market because of its cute appearance and affordable price. The price of Pomeranian starts at 89 yuan, mainly using high-density PP cotton, the fabric count is high, the structure is thick, and it can be machine washed without deformation. However, it should be noted that there will be a slight floating hair on the plush surface, and the jacket or accessories worn may not be waterproof, and the coat of some toys may also have the problem of fading.
