THE CONVERSATION

By Amos Staff and Michelle Railey

1. Sophie the Giraffe (Sophie la girafe), the teething toy, has a birthday: May 25, 1961, the feast of St. Sophia. (In 1961, that was a Thursday.) May 25th is the feast day of Madeleine Sophie Barat (and also Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi). The feast day of St. Sophia of Rome is actually May 15. Sophie la girafe was named for Madeleine Sophie Barat (1779-1865).

2. Sophia, historically, means wisdom. The word first held a meaning of “cleverness and skill,” but later came to mean both intelligence and wisdom. It was then shaped by the word “philosophía,” love of wisdom (see Plato).

3. Sophie Giraffe was designed by a Mr. Rambeau, no other information known. Rambeau as a surname is a French name derived from the ancient Germanic personal names of Raginbald or Hrambald. (Roots include “ragin”- counsel, “hramn” – raven, “bald” -bold, brave.)

4. Sophie is made from natural latex rubber from Hevea trees. Hevea (Hevea brasiliensis) is also known as rubber tree, pará rubber tree, sharinga, and seringueira.

5. There is a whole universe of “celebrity Sophie sightings:” ^ famous parents with their offspring and Sophie. The rubber giraffe was also featured in the movie Three Men and a Baby (1987)* and, later, by Martha Stewart. We searched really hard for the Martha Stewart video featuring Sophie but couldn’t find it. We did find video of her discussing her affair with an attractive Irish chap during her early marriage and stockbroker days, plus a video of her daughter and friend dissecting old Martha Stewart Living footage. But no Sophie. Still, the internet insists that Martha Stewart featured it. At some point. On some channel.

6. Sophie la Girafe (Sophie the giraffe) is a privately held company that is generally under the following hierarchy: Alain Thirion Group [1] —> Vulli —> previously Vullierme —> Originally created (more or less) under the auspices of the Delacoste Company.

7. Sophie, while originally just the giraffe-shaped teether, is now oh-so-many other products: books, gift sets, teething rings, bath toys, sippy cups. Shake rattles, mother’s journals and baby albums, stuffed plush friends, a rolling toy/tube, a motor skills wheel. A rattle. Christmas ornament. Double teether ring. Cooling ring, wooden house playset, activity table. Flash cards and pregnancy journals. (If Sophie wasn’t so obviously trademarked, we’d make bibs and onesies and tees with Sophie’s admittedly adorable visage. See Amos-Cola on Etsy and ebay.)

Bonus Round:

8. The exclusive American supplier of Sophie is Calisson Toys. “Calissons” in French? A candy similar to marzipan: candied fruits, ground almonds, with the addition of royal icing (and, according to Wikipedia, a more “melon-like” taste than traditional marzipan). (Are les calissons a better texture? Amos-Cola can’t tell you.)

9. Don’t Panic over that Sophie the Giraffe Mold.

10. Knock-offs and Inspired-Bys of Sophie include: Nuby Jackie the Giraffe (natural), Share and Care BPA Free Giraffe Baby Teether Toy, Mary Meyer Tilly Giraffe, Many, many others, plus, probably our favorite, “The Mom Store Sophie La Girafe Fanfan.” It’s a deer. (Also known as “Fanfan the fawn.” ) December 2024? $27.99 at Meijer. Current prices for Original Sophie? $26-$28ish, depending on store. $50s and up if you’re looking for a gift set.

Sources and Notes:

Cambridge.org. Elizabeth S. Belfiore. Introduction to Chapter 4, Platonic Love from Antiquity to the Renaissance.

Pinterest: “33 Celebrity Sophie Sighting Ideas”

Purtill, Corinne. “Why every baby you know chews on the same rubber giraffe.” Quartz.com

Reddit: “What’s up with the cult following behind the Sophie the giraffe teething toy?”

Strickland, Cara. “How Sophie the Giraffe Became One of the Most Popular Toys Ever.” Cubbyathome.com

”The Story of Vulli company,” Vulli.fr

^ Just, uh, google (or search engine of your choice employed as a verb) “celebrities” + “Sophie giraffe.” Tons of images. If that’s your thing. There’s a reason Sophie was the focus of several magazine articles in the last decade and a half. (See also: google search recommended queries “why is Sophie the giraffe so expensive”)

* Regarding Three Men and a Baby: We had several photos ready to post to accompany this factoid. But we thought, oh hell, the search is half the fun and the search page is ALL the fun. Google it. Also? The Ghost Boy myth of that movie? Just a myth: it’s a cardboard cutout of Ted Danson in a top hat just chilling by the curtains. Not a ghost.

[1] See: Alain Thirion at MarketScreener and, (en Français), Wikipedia. Notably: Vulli company and Sophie la Girafe are each their very own SAS businesses (Société par actions simplifiée)— essentially, their own, separate LLCs. Which is, business wise, interesting.

Giraffe Conservation Foundation (help real giraffes, not just Sophies)