Going prehistoric in the pandemic! Our new dinosaur plush range.

The Covid-19 pandemic brought with it new challenges for every business across the world & The Gift Scholars is no exception. When the first lockdown began in March 2020, like many we were uncertain about the coming months. Many of the customers we supply rely on footfall for their sales; sports fans attending matches, zoo and theme park visitors, tourists and charity supporters. However, the surge in internet shopping saw a continuation of sales for those customers who had online stores, and a growth in sales of our off the shelf products. Here we saw an opportunity to focus on growing our range and offer a wider choice of quality, affordable products within our Zappi co. brand.

Zappi co. was conceived in the early stages of the company as a way to offer ready made products we had developed that customers could buy from stock, rather than having to always order bespoke. This allowed customers an entry into our products without committing to the larger minimum order quantities associated with tailor made designs.

Our early lines included bedding & curtains, luggage, tableware & cushions. Strong sales soon saw the introduction of plush animal toys which have proved extremely popular with zoos and wildlife parks. Alongside our unique Build Your Own Keyring, the plush toy range has become a flagship range for Zappi co. and is expanded several times every year. Aside from the fact that these toys are cute, cuddly and collectable, we are proudest of their eco credentials: being stuffed entirely from recycled PET plastics. We are now working on developing the outer materials to also be recycled while remaining at a competitive price point, and we're confident that this is something we'll be able to achieve.

Each toy comes with a Top Trumps style fact card, adding a collectable and educational element.

2021 brought the addition of ever popular dinosaurs to our range. Wishing to provide a wider choice for dino fans, we now have 18 plush dinosaurs, many of which we had never heard of before. We've all had a bit of an education! Our offering includes amongst others a Plesiosaur, Spinosaurus & a Parasaurolophus alongside the better known T-Rex and Triceratops. We've even added two super cute baby dinos hatching from a plush egg! As with all of our plush toys we've worked hard on the details of each one & they are superb quality (suitable for newborns). We can't wait to see them on the shelves soon!