Kösen alpaca

Alpacas, originally native to the South American Andes, have been capturing the hearts of Europeans for years. No zoo without an alpaca enclosure, no hike without an alpaca on a lead. It is possible that the popularity of this camel species is due to the innocent look the animals cast on the human observer from their shimmering, moist eyes. (Although they are not quite so "innocent", as they can spit deliberately, preferably between conspecifics, to straighten out the hierarchy or out of food envy. But that's another story). Alpacas definitely owe their popularity to their incomparably soft alpaca hair, which is one of the finest natural materials of all. Almost 7,000 years ago, South American cultures began to domesticate the camel species and shear the "fleece of the gods", as the Incas called the fine, soft alpaca hair, to make their textiles.

The Kösen alpaca is also made from this soft, downy hair. Except for its face and feet, which are covered with short-pile woven plush, the alpaca nestles in your arms with what makes it special: real fine alpaca hair. The entire body of the animal is firmly stuffed with wadding, so you can give the alpaca out of your hands with a clear conscience and stand it up so that it can look out into the world with that famous moist look - completely adorable and without spitting.

Genuine stuffed animals made in Bad Kösen are collector’s items, but what they are actually made for is life in a nursery. Up to 100 parts are necessary to make a Kösen animal with securely fastened safety eyes and stuffing of non-flammable silicone hollow fibre (in case of the teddy bears and the larger specimen, they also add some plastic granulate for anatomic accuracy). Unlike many other manufacturers, who mostly use materials made in Asia, they stick to plush that comes from weaving mills in Germany, Belgium and France. It has a firmer quality and can thus be sewn more tightly – ultimately the reason for the animals’ durability. Besides, this plush fabric is resistant to hair loss. The Kösen animals are among the finest you can find, not only in craft but also in design. For every model, thorough studies of anatomy and movement are conducted in the animals’ natural environment or at the zoo; blueprints and clay models follow. Thanks to the co-operation with the neighbouring Burg Giebichenstein, a well-known training centre for product design in Germany since the beginning of the 20th century, the Kösen stuffed animals have won several design prizes.