I am not much of a collector of anything truly valuable yet the few items I do have in my collection of things I cherish are some stuffed animals, antique jewelry, nostalgic tins, some dolls, a few silk handkerchiefs, and oh wow the list is pretty long.

Rather than bore or excite you with that list I chose to focus on one of the stuffed animals I have held onto for quite some time. I actually bought this Wildlife Artists, XL Sea Lion Plush 25 inch Stuffed Animal in an aquarium, not local, knick knack shop on a vacation because it was simply cute, cuddly, soft and stood up to posing on a shelf somewhere in my new manufactured home.

This was awhile back but I recall having been awarded some special items for saving the whales campaign. It was a beautiful glass plate with a humpback whale on it and a vinyl album of their intense calming haunting songs they produce under water.

The sea-lion was my next quest to donate what I could, save where I could, get excited for the right causes to help protect them and then seeing this during that time, I had to have it. This product is NOT a toy because of a few things the review points.

Now on with the review . . .

|| APPEARANCE ||

The very sleek soft dark brown fur is almost identical to that of a real se-lion from the California Pacific coastal waters and the markings are not necessarily unique in that each sea lion is NOT the same but that these sea creatures have similar markings to denote them in the warmer waters.

There are curved plastic beads for eyes and the tip of his cute snout complete with wiry but not sharp whiskers. To a small child this may be irritating should they want to snuggle with their Wildlife Artists, XL Sea Lion Plush 25 inch Stuffed Animal at bedtime. I really don’t recommend it but I am not a parent, this is no toy and as a collector it is displayed not played, with.

He is filled with something cushioney but not like separate little pieces of hard plastic or sand or even cashed pebbles, it appears to be very pliable foam. He or she lays well but standing could pose a problem.

|| CARE & CLEANING ||

Well you cannot just toss this Wildlife Artists, XL Sea Lion Plush 25 inch Stuffed Animal in the washing machine, sorry. It does take kindly to a gentle stroked bathing of wet cloth and then a blowdryer. don’t drench or submerge.

|| COMPANY INFO ||

Distributors online like Aurora, Fiesta and Wild Republic offer similar plush sea lion stuffed animals but Wildlife Artists are behind the creative replication of realism in the animal kingdoms especially series pieces like this one: The Conservation Critters from the Sea. The first place shown on this review page to buy it is StuffedSafari dot com and unfortunately it is unavailable at this time.

I am finding because this company has been in business for nearly 40 years locating stores that carry it for retail and wholesale advantage, is not TOO difficult to find. If you can’t online has dozens of replicas.

Corporate Headquarters:

Wildlife Artists, Inc.
6 Trowbridge Drive
Bethel, CT 06801-2858
Phone: 203-778-6800
Toll Free: 866-896-3978
Fax: 203-778-6944

It is great to find that if your child does want an unusual animal like a purple and pink penguin, it can be done with their on-line create your own plush toy. The certain places shown to buy it only one place pans out as the other shows unavailable. Yet these are made by a company called Wildlife Artists for nearly 40 years and can be found in the most unusual places.

|| DIMENSIONS ||

This lovable sea lion lays 25” flat and does not sit well up against a wall even. He is meant to lounge.

|| NEGATIVES ||

You cannot throw him (or her) never thought about till now the gender of the species)) in the dishwasher for centrifusion as it can’t be submerged and then spun around without getting dizzy or ruined forever.

|| POSITIVES ||

If you lay it down on a wide shelf, window seat or even love seat it will accent the piece with grace and enthusiasm as when people look at her or him, the timeless expression on the face is well you’ll have to see it for yourself.

I like that this plush toy also takes care of itself and just awaits your tender loving care . . .

|| VERDICT (my) ||

I am definitely in the category ages 3 and up and since it is not really a toy to me but a symbol of hope (I did something good for their species), this sea lion graces the top of my clothes dresser in my room reminding me of a good deed. Laying across the top and sometimes wearing one of my few baseball caps I own, he or she somehow keeps me in connection with the sea waters of my existence.

The plush is soft, the creature takes up only 25 inches of space and it is soooooo cute in the schmooze, his nose and face and are just adorable !
I assign this a **** ½ star, ½ goes for non-machine and surface washing only, for those that let it go in grungy conditions.

Thank you for reading and I hope this is useful to you !

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 11.oo w/tax
Type of Toy: Stuffed Toy
Age Range of Child: Whole Family