Background

We're going to stray a little away from designer plush and take a look at an interesting mainstream line from First & Main Inc. The company is known for creating Teddy Bears, but this line is a little different from their normal fare.

The Bright Friendzies! (exclamation point included) is a series of 12 different animals in 6 monochromatic colors. So let's take a look...and you might want to invite the kids in to get their opinion on the line.

 The Facts



Bright Friendzies!
Series: Bright Friendzies!
Manufacturer: First & Main Inc.
Material: Plush
Dimensions: 6” tall
Designs: Elephant, Fox, Giraffe, Hippo, Koala, Lion, Monkey, Panda, Penguin, Raccoon, Tiger, Zebra

 Tag

The same tag is used on all of the Bright Friendzies plushies. It's fairly ordinary (a few small character illustrations), so you won't mind cutting it off and recycling.

 Our Opinion

First & Main's Facebook profile has some pretty interesting information on it...at least from a marketing perspective. Obviously directed toward retailers, you realize how a number of mainstream plush lines are produced.

We’ve been listening to those of you who’ve said that modern looks “speak” to the younger generations. All research for the younger crowds points to bold/graphic looks. In the same report for Color Schemes, “Brights” ranks at top at a whopping 64%.

So that's pretty much how the Bright Friendzies! line was created. They're obviously not designer toys...but let's take a look at the plushies. The line consists of 12 different animal characters, each one being a bright, monochromatic color. Much of the facial features are embroidered. They all have square eyes and bellybuttons and feature bean bag bottoms for displaying.

The quality is similar to other factory produced plushies. It's fairly average...you'll have a few stray strands of string, but nothing too egregious.

I wasn't able to find any place that currently carries the line, but it appears that they retail in the $5 to $7 range. That's not a bad price if you're at the zoo (one place they're marketing the Bright Friendzies!) and you want to pick up a plush toy for the kids.

OVERALL: I'm not sure that designer plush collectors will fully appreciate the Bright Friendzies! line. They're less of a collectible and more of a impulse plush purchase for the kiddos. With that being said, I actually do like several of the designs. The giraffe and lion stand out as the two best animal characters...and for $5 – and to keep the children happy – they're worth it.

 You can pick one up at the following:

I couldn't find anyplace online to purchase these. I'm assuming a $5 plush for the value grade. I looked at the First & Main website and was thoroughly confused. Let us know in the comments if you've been able to find these anywhere.

Bright Friendzies! Grades

Plush Quality: 7/10
    Stitching: 7/10
    Material: 7/10
Softness: 7/10
Packaging/Tag: 6/10
Cuteness: 8/10
Fun Factor: 9/10
Value: 9/10

Overall: 7.5/10