Mary Meyer Corporation

Mary Meyer Corporation is an American plush-toy and children's-gift manufacturer based in Townshend, Vermont. The business traces its origins to Mary Lorang Meyer, a seamstress who moved with her husband, Hans, and their two children from New York City to rural Vermont. During the Great Depression, Mary supplemented her sewing income by making and selling pincushions. By the early 1930s, she had begun using leftover fabric from her sewing work to create stuffed animals. The toys initially served as gifts for her children and friends, but their popularity turned the home-based activity into a commercial enterprise. The company formally began operating in 1933. In its early years, Mary and Hans Meyer helped sell the handmade animals while employees remained in Vermont to produce them. This combination of family involvement, small-scale manufacturing, and direct selling established the foundations of the company’s identity. Over time, the business expanded beyond its local origins into a national and international supplier of plush toys and gifts for children. Its catalog now includes more than 400 products, covering conventional stuffed animals, baby-oriented plush, characterful soft toys, and gift items. The company’s named product families include Marshmallow Zoo, Putty Toys, Fab Fuzz, FlipFlops, Baby, Taggies, and WubbaNub toys. It has also offered plush products recognized with Oppenheim Gold Seal awards, an indication of third-party recognition within the children’s product and toy sector. The breadth of the catalog places Mary Meyer across both the traditional plush-toy market and the broader baby-products market. Mary Meyer remains a family-run company. Four of Mary Meyer’s grandchildren are involved in the day-to-day operation of the business; the referenced company history identifies Kevin Meyer as president and Steven Meyer as lead designer. This continued family management connects the contemporary company with its founding story while supporting the development of new plush and baby-gift products. The brand is positioned around soft, durable, giftable stuffed animals and related products for babies and children. Its business model is centered on designing and manufacturing branded plush collections rather than operating primarily as a mass retail chain or a diversified consumer-products conglomerate. Public reference material describes the company as a national and international brand, although detailed market-by-market sales, ownership, financial, and distribution information is not publicly established in the supplied sources.

Mary Meyer Corporation developed from the sewing and toy-making work of Mary Lorang Meyer in Townshend, Vermont. Mary and her husband, Hans, relocated with their children from New York City during the Great Depression. To supplement her sewing income, Mary first made pincushions. By the early 1930s, she was turning surplus fabric from sewing projects into stuffed animals. The earliest toys were made as gifts for family and friends, but demand grew sufficiently for the activity to become a source of income. The company formally started in 1933. In the early operating model, Mary and Hans traveled to sell the stuffed animals while workers in Vermont continued producing them. This arrangement allowed the business to retain its craft-based origins while reaching customers beyond the local community. Over the following decades, Mary Meyer expanded into a national and international plush-toy and children’s-gift business. The modern company maintains a large catalog, reported at more than 400 products. Its collections include Marshmallow Zoo, Putty Toys, Fab Fuzz, FlipFlops, Baby, Taggies, and WubbaNub toys. These lines reflect the company’s movement from general stuffed animals into specialized baby and comfort products. Several of its plush toys have received Oppenheim Gold Seal awards, providing recognition from an established children’s-product review organization. Family continuity remains a defining feature of the company. Four of Mary Meyer’s grandchildren are described as participating in day-to-day operations. Kevin Meyer is identified as president and Steven Meyer as lead designer. The company therefore combines a multi-generational operating structure with a broad contemporary product portfolio. Its public materials and reference descriptions present it as an active Vermont-based brand serving both domestic and international markets.

• 1933

  Mary Meyer Stuffed Toys is formally established

  [1]Mary Meyer Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The family business was officially started in Townshend, Vermont, establishing the company’s long-running plush-toy operation.

• 1931

  Early stuffed-toy production begins

  [1]Mary Meyer Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Mary Lorang Meyer began making stuffed toys from fabric left over from her sewing work. The toys first circulated as gifts before becoming a commercial source of income.

• Expansion into national and international markets

  [1]Mary Meyer Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The Vermont operation grew from a local family enterprise into a national and international brand supplying plush toys and children’s gifts.

• Family succession continues

  [1]Mary Meyer Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Four of Mary Meyer’s grandchildren became involved in day-to-day management, including Kevin Meyer as president and Steven Meyer as lead designer.

A family-run American plush-toy brand positioned around soft, durable, giftable stuffed animals and baby products, with an emphasis on a broad collection of designs and long-running family craftsmanship.

• Plush toys

  Marshmallow Zoo

  A named Mary Meyer plush collection included among the company’s principal product families. The line is part of the brand’s broader range of soft animal and character-oriented toys.

• Plush toys

  Putty Toys

  A Mary Meyer product family within the company’s soft-toy portfolio. It represents the brand’s focus on tactile, giftable plush products for children.

• Plush toys

  Fab Fuzz

  A named plush collection produced by Mary Meyer. It belongs to the company’s broader catalog of soft stuffed animals and children’s gift items.

• Plush toys

  FlipFlops

  A Mary Meyer plush range listed among the company’s established product families. Public reference material identifies the line but does not provide further product specifications.

• Baby products

  Baby

  A Mary Meyer product family associated with the company’s expanding presence in baby gifts and baby-oriented plush products.

• Baby sensory toys

  Taggies

  A named Mary Meyer line included in the company’s baby and plush portfolio. The product family is associated with soft toys featuring tactile tag elements.

• Baby products

  WubbaNub toys

  A baby-focused product range listed among Mary Meyer’s product families. The supplied reference identifies the line but does not establish its launch date or detailed commercial history.

1. 1Mary Meyer Corporationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Mary Meyer Corporation official websitemarymeyer.com