… the simple story of a girafe born on May 25th in the year 1961, Saint Sophie’s day.
In those days, the only animal toys available were farm animals and pet figures …
One day in France, Monsieur Rampeau came up with an idea of designing a toy in a shape of a giraffe. Monsieur Rampeau was an expert in creating toys by transforming the latex from the HEVEA tree using the rotational moulding of rubber. He knew that this exotic wildlife figure would be a first on the market, and was sure that the giraffe’s size and shape would be ideal for babies’ small hands to grasp.
Sophie la girafe, who still looks exactly the same today, went into production on May 25th, Saint Sophie’s Day, hence her name.
As predicted, Sophie la girafe was an immediate success. Young parents immediately recognised that she was a must for their baby… When the first signs of teething appear, Sophie la girafe helps babies stop crying!
By simple word of mouth, the little giraffe’s fame spread. From then on, generations upon generations of children around the world would come to love listening to Sophie squeak whenever they pressed her tummy or head!
VULLI, a company based in Rumilly in the Haute-Savoie region of France has continued to keep the highly guarded secret of how this wonder toy is made. To this day, Sophie la girafe is still traditionally produced, a process that involves more than 14 manual operations.
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