Every toy on the Tollers site earns its place. We look at how it is made, what it is made from, and whether it will still be loved in five years' time. Most of the time, that process takes a while. With Curt the Sheep, it did not.
Curt is our first soft toy. Until now, our range has been built around wood, cork, and metal. Soft toys are a different category, and one we approached carefully, because so much of what is on the market is filled with synthetic stuffing and wrapped in plastic packaging. We were not willing to add a soft toy to the site unless it matched everything else we stand for. Curt did.
Who makes him
Curt is made by Wool Hugger, a family business based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Wool Hugger is now in its third generation of working with wool, and Curt began life over twenty years ago as the mascot for their wool trading business, long before he became a toy in his own right.
He is made entirely from wool, with more than 70% of it sourced from British sheep farms. There is no synthetic filling and no plastic anywhere in him. He is hand finished and safety tested to EN71 standards, the same standard we expect from every toy we stock.
Why his story felt familiar
What struck us most was not just what Curt is made from, it was why he exists at all. Wool Hugger went looking for a proper wool sheep toy for their own children and could not find one. Every sheep toy on the market was some form of synthetic plush. As a family who had spent generations working with wool, that did not sit right with them. So they made their own.
That is almost exactly how Tollers began. We went looking for toys we could feel good about giving our own children and kept coming up short. Rather than accept that gap, we decided to do something about it.
Two family businesses, in different corners of the country, arriving at the same conclusion for the same reason. That is not something we come across often, and it is exactly the kind of story we want behind the products we sell.
Meet Curt
Curt has real weight in the hand. He is not a toy that gets forgotten in a toy box, he is the one that ends up carried around the house, tucked under an arm at bedtime, and taken along on trips out. Recommended for ages 3 and up, he is built to be a genuine companion rather than a passing phase.
He is supplied without individual retail packaging, so there is nothing standing between you and the wool itself.
Curt the Sheep is available now at tollerstoys.com. Free UK delivery on orders over £40.
More than one toy
Curt is the first soft toy on Tollers, but he will not be the only one. We are always looking for makers who share the same approach, people who care about materials, craftsmanship, and building something that lasts rather than something that sells quickly and breaks easily.
That is the same thinking behind everything else we stock. Our range spans FSC-certified wooden toys, cork building blocks, natural rubber, and organic fabrics, all chosen because they meet the same standard Curt does. No screens, no batteries, made to be handed down rather than thrown away.
If Curt is the sort of toy you can get behind, the rest of the range is worth a look too.
