Single women offered unusual companion 

Loving Bear Puffy, a human-sized plush toy in the shape of a man’s body with “the head of a half-asleep bear,” is an ideal solution for lonely people craving a cuddle, its creators have claimed. The toy caught the attention of the British media earlier this week.  

According to Puffy’s official website, it is durable, soft, light, conforms to every person’s body shape, and happily provides emotional support whenever it is needed.   

“Puffy replaces the need for the physical presence of a person in various moments and situations of everyday life, especially during long lonely nights,” reads the description of the toy, which sells for $160.  

Puffy’s creators – Bulgarian businesswoman Tonia Berdankova and her daughter Ina Marholeva – admit that due to the teddy bear’s unusual appearance and its 170cm height, getting used to it might “take some time.” However, they are certain that very soon happy owners of Puffy “will only enjoy and cuddle him.” They are also able to personalize their new companion, which arrives with “no clothing of his own.”  

Varna-based Berdankova got the idea of creating such an unusual toy last year when her daughter was struggling to live through a lonely summer without her husband.  

“I was thinking about it and how there are many women in the world alone for some reason and they need some kind of physical presence,” Berdankova revealed in an interview with Daily Mail published on Friday.  

When asked if she plans to produce a female version of Puffy for men to cuddle, she responded: “Maybe later.”   

“But I think women are more likely to admit we need something like this,” the co-creator added.  

Over the first few months of Puffy’s life, sales have been consistently growing, Berdankova said, with the uptake highest in the US, UK and in the Scandinavian countries.