Category
Private label toys and plush
A toy is any product designed for children to play with, whatever you call it. Once something falls under that definition, testing and marking are required before sale. Our group runs its own plush brands, so we know this from the inside.
Private label toys and plush: safety first, then character
Private label toys are products made to your design or chosen from a factory range, sold under your brand and tested to the safety rules of each market. The brand owner normally carries the manufacturer’s duties in the EU and must issue a certificate in the US, so a factory’s test report alone is not enough. It has to match your exact product, materials and age grade.
Own designs are where the value lies. A character can give you real protection through copyright, design rights and trademarks, and a story that a generic bear cannot claim. Our group runs its own plush brands, and that practice informs how we plan your range. Other toy types go through selected contract manufacturers.
The age grade shapes the whole project, and our compliance stage starts there. A toy for under-threes faces stricter requirements, including on small parts, and a warning label alone may not move a product out of that group if it is plainly meant for them. Rules below are general information, and an accredited laboratory and a specialist check each specific toy with us.
Routes in this category
Testing cost scales with the number of materials and colours.
Plush from your own pattern
An area where our group runs <a href="/our-brands/">its own brands</a>. Soft toys look simple, but eyes, seams, fillings and flammability get tested.
Electronic toys
Add batteries, radio and electrical rules to the toy file. Button cell rules are strict in the US. Consider leaving this out of the first range.
What drives the minimum
Fabric or plastic colour minimums, tooling, embroidered details and test costs per variant. Fewer colours mean a lower real entry.
Toy safety by market
Same bear, four sets of documents.
| Market | Rule | Conformity route | What changes soon |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU | Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC | CE marking with technical documentation and a declaration; harmonised standards support the assessment | Regulation 2025/2509 entered into force 1 January 2026 and applies from 1 August 2030, with a digital product passport |
| Great Britain | Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 | UKCA, or CE under the continued recognition of EU requirements | Check Northern Ireland separately, as UKCA alone is not accepted there |
| US | ASTM F963, CPSIA | Third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted laboratory, Children’s Product Certificate, tracking label | Importers must eFile certificate data since 8 July 2026, with no exemption for low-value parcels |
Testing a sample from an unrepresentative run proves little. Ask for a production-representative sample and a test scope that matches the final materials.
What must be ready before launch
The file we ask for on a toy project.
- Age grade decided and justified, with the hazard analysis behind it
- Test reports for the final materials, colours and construction from an accredited laboratory
- Technical file, declaration of conformity and CE or UKCA marking where needed
- Children’s Product Certificate and tracking label data for the US, plus eFiling arrangements with your broker
- Design ownership in writing, with character rights assigned to you
- Trademark and, for characters, design protection in your selling markets
Frequently asked questions
Are plush toys for adults still toys?
Possibly. Regulators look at design and marketing, not only your intended buyer. If a child is likely to treat it as a toy, expect it to be treated as one. Calling it a collectible for adults does not settle the question.
Do I need third-party testing for toys in the US?
Yes for children’s products. Certification must be based on passing tests from a CPSC-accepted laboratory, and the importer or domestic manufacturer issues the Children’s Product Certificate. Registered small batch makers get limited relief on some rules, but not all.
Can I use a factory’s existing toy test reports?
Only as a starting point. A report must match your exact materials, colours and design, and the importer or brand still has to issue the required documents. Reports from a different version of the toy will not protect you.
What is the minimum order for custom plush?
Custom work tends to start around our general figure of 300–1 000 units per design, and fabric and embroidery requirements can raise it. Each extra size or colour adds a variant, and potentially test cost. Starting with very few is usually wiser.
Have a product idea? Check it before you buy stock.
Send a short brief. We tell you what we think, including when we think you should not do it.
Tell us about your brand
A few lines are enough: what you want to sell, where and to whom. We reply with an honest view of feasibility, the stages you need and the next step.
- No obligation: the first review of your idea is free
- If we think the idea will not pay back, we say so
- Your idea stays confidential; we can sign an NDA
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