Sophie the Giraffe is a teether

Teether

A teether is a soothing tool for infants that are going through the phase of teething.The European Commission's Scientific Committee announced that they are banning phthalate softeners in baby toys, because of toxic residue in six phthalate that were used in the manufacture of baby toys such as...

 – a toy for teething

Teething

Teething is the process by which an infant's first teeth sequentially appear by emerging through the gums. Teething may start as early as three months or as late, in some cases, as twelve months. The typical time frame for the first teeth to appear is somewhere between six and nine months...

 babies to chew on – in the form of a 7-inch-high hevea rubber giraffe

Giraffe

The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...

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History

The toy has been made in France since 1961, first in Asnières-sur-Oise

Asnières-sur-Oise

Asnières-sur-Oise is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France.-Population:-References:** -External links:* * *...

, near Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, by Delacoste company then from 1991 by Vulli company located in Rumilly

Rumilly, Haute-Savoie

Rumilly is a commune of over 12000 inhabitants in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.-Geography:The Chéran forms part of the commune's eastern border, crosses the village, flows north-northwestward through the northern part of the commune, then flows into...

 in the French Alps

French Alps

The French Alps are those portions of the Alps mountain range which stand within France, located in the Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions....

. Its name refers to its launch on 25 May 1961, the day associated with the name Sophie

Sophia (name)

Sophia is a female name derived from σοφία, the Greek word for "Wisdom." Sophie is from the French form. Sophia has been a popular name throughout the western world...

. It has achieved national icon status in France, according to Slate

Slate (magazine)

Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...

, 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

Three Men and a Baby is a 1987 comedy film starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, Nancy Travis , and Ted Danson, and directed by Leonard Nimoy, in his first non-Star Trek movie directorial role. It follows the mishaps and adventures of three bachelors as they attempt to adapt their lives to...

(1984), and where it has become the best-selling baby product offered by Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

. Launched in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 in the trendy Hollywood area, it became popular through word of mouth

Word of mouth

Word of mouth, or viva voce, is the passing of information from person to person by oral communication. Storytelling is the oldest form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others of something, whether a real event or something made up. Oral tradition is cultural material and...

, especially on Amazon.com since 2008. The reasons proposed for this success are that it is marketed as its 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

American Specialty Toy Retailing Association

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association, or ASTRA, is an organisation of manufacturers, distributors and retailers of specialty toys, as compared to mass market product sold by e.g. Toys "R" Us....

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