Cost:	$11.00 and up
Company Site:	pocketfuzzies.com
Contents:	Plush Animal with Pocket (Tarsier comes with PocketFuzzies Story Booklet)

No I don’t mean the stuff in your pocket. PocketFuzzies are cute and cuddly plush friends that you can carry around in its very own pocket  or pouch! These amazing creatures are modeled after real endangered animals and simply by learning about the animals and spreading the word you are helping them.

My son loves stuffed animals. Not any kind of stuffed animal but actual animals in plush form. He has had a walrus since he was 2 that he picked out. So when we discovered PocketFuzzies at the Chicago Toy and Game Fair I was almost as excited as he was about getting one. Endangered animals in plush form! This meant he could have a new animal friend to learn about and a chance to help spread the word about endangered animals.

A lot of people, me included, did not know these animals existed. Greater Slow Loris? Tarzier? They sounded like something out of a book but they are real animals and some are more endangered than others.

PocketFuzzies has 5 plush endangered animals out currently with more coming soon. I can even tell you a little about each of them because we are lucky enough to have them all! My son loves them and can tell you a little bit himself about them.

Greater Slow Loris

“He is the Slow Loris and he lives in trees and he eats sap, nectar and bugs.” – Gentleman (Video transcript)

This little guy was the first one my son received (and my daughter got one too!) and he took him everywhere! He has gone to the zoo, the children’s museum, on a train ride at Celebration Crossing and he even got to meet Santa!

The Greater Slow Loris lives in various countries throughout Southeast Asia and is considered “Vulnerable” on the level of endangerment list (or whatever scientific name they use). This means it is considered to be at high risk of becoming endangered in the wild.

They have opposable thumbs which helps them since they like to spend a lot of time in the trees even when they sleep. They like to climb really high and curl up into a little ball to keep cozy. Weighing less than 2 pounds and only getting about 11-15 inches probably helps them stay up in the tall trees. They love sweet foods like sap, gum and nectar.

Emperor Tamarin

“Emperor Tamarin and he lives in the trees and he eats frogs and eggs and his tail is really long and he is really friendly.” – Gentleman (Video transcript)

The second friend my son received got to take a trip to his preschool class for “E” week. They do a letter each week and bring something in to show that starts with that letter. On “E” week he chose his Emperor Tamarin.

Emperor Tamarin lives in countries like Brazil, Peru and Bolivia in small family groups. Their status is considered of “Least Concern” which means at lowest risk, thankfully. These little guys are very playful and affectionate animals. Some of the YouTube videos of them in zoos is absolutely adorable!

They are tiny at only about 10 inches long and weighing around 14 ounces. The have these really long adorable mustaches and long reddish-orange tails. They are very very cute! Their diet consists of eating things like lizards, eggs and nectar and they are able to communicate with each other by making chirping sounds.

Malayan Tapir

“Malayan Tapir and he can run really fast and swim and climb and he eats grass and fruit and nuts.” – Gentleman (Video transcript)

The Malayan Tapir was the third friend and he has only gotten to go to relatives houses for Christmas. My son has trouble pronouncing his name but he does try.

They live in different countries throughout Southeast Asia including Malaysia and are unfortunately considered “Endangered”. This means they are at high risk of becoming extinct in the wild.

One of four species of tapirs, the Malayan Tapirs have the longest snout. They weigh around 550-720 pounds (sometimes over 1,000 pounds) and can grow 5 to 8 feet long and 2-3 feet in height.

Although you can hardly see it, they have a stubby little tail which is adorable. They love to munch on shoots, grass and fruits. Even though they are big and bulky they are fast runners, excellent swimmers and great climbers.

Tarsier

“Tarsier and he eats bugs and arthropods they’re like crabs and scorpions and they hop really far and they like live in trees.” – Gentleman (Video transcript)

This little guy was given to my daughter who tries constantly to mimic those huge eyes! It is really very cute!

The tarsier lives on Siau Island (Indonesia) and is a “Critically Endangered” animal. This means it is considered to be at very high risk of becoming extinct in the wild.

Tarsiers love to play in the trees and can leap great distances. Weighing in at approximately 2 – 6 ounces, they are very small. They only get to be about 3-5 inches tall! Tiny with huge eyes? It’s pretty much cute overload.

They love to eat insects and arthropods. (like crabs or scorpions) One awesome thing about these adorable little guys…they can turn their head 180 degrees! Now that is a creature I would love to see!

Spotted Linsang

“Linsang and he eats insects, and birds and lizards and he comes out at night.” – Gentleman (Video transcript)

This was the last little guy to be given and I gave it to my son as he really really loves animals. He said it looked like a tiger and a cheetah at the same time! He hasn’t had a chance to go with us anywhere yet but if my son has his way one or all of these guys will be with us a lot.

The Spotted Linsang live in various countries throughout Southeast Asia and are considered “Least Concern” which means we are at lowest risk. This is a good thing so we want to keep it that way or make it even better. They are rarely seen in the wild and can leap through the trees when they want and crawl on the ground on their bellies when they’re hunting for food.

They are so slim and crawl so low to the ground that they are often mistaken for snakes. That is hilarious!  They love to eat rodents, lizards and insects which is kind of snake-like too. Being nocturnal animals means they sleep in the day and play at night.

They spots on their backs and rings on my tail (so they do kind of resemble cheetahs mixed with tigers). They only weigh approximately 1 to 3 pounds but can get about 14 to 16 inches long with their tail being another 12 inches or so long.

These plush friends can help bring awareness to their real life versions fight for survival. Simply by reading this post you now know they exist, you know a little about where they live and what they eat and you know they are endangered of becoming extinct in the wild on some level. Eventually PocketFuzzies will find an organization that will help animals such as these to donate proceeds too. Until then you can help simply by purchasing a new friend for your child and making him and anyone he shows his new friend to aware of the little guy’s story.

The pocket or pouch they come in means you can take them (and according to my son) along with any of their food with you anywhere you go. The Gentleman likes to put his plastic bugs in the pouches along with some fruits. He won’t put frogs in the Emperor Tamarin’s pouch though as he likes frogs and doesn’t want them to get eaten.

I am so glad we have these guys in our house. My son now knows more about new animals, he is learning what endangered is and he wants to help all the animals even more than before. Plus they are super soft and cuddly!

“We share this planet with many species. It is our responsibility to protect them, both for their sakes and our own.”
~ Pamela A. Matson