If you spend time in BAB groups online you will most likely see people throwing around a lot of different terms regarding stuffing. So what do all these terms mean? Is there really a difference between the stuffing types? How do I get the best type of stuffing?
I want to take a moment to break down the 3 primary types of stuffing you'll come across. Also as a note while all these types of stuffing are pretty different they do all share one very important thing in common. They are all made of the same material, polyester. Polyester is the primary material used for stuffing in plush as it is the most allergy friendly. Occasionally you will find stuffed animals that use a different type of stuffing. However, all the stuffing BAB uses and I will be covering are 100% polyester.
The first type we have is a "traditional fiberfill" stuffing. This is what's often referred to by many as "crunch stuff" or "the bad stuff". Traditional fiberfill is a densely packed stuffing with the individual fibers having a wiry nature to them. When it's inside a plush and squeezed many describe the feeling as being crunchy. There's many different versions and brands of traditional fiberfill that come in a range of qualities. The one BAB uses is a particularly cheap/low quality version. The lower the quality typically the more wiry and crunchy the stuffing will be.
This is the stuffing that almost anything you get from BAB that is prestuffed will have in it. For plush you'll find in stores any part that is already stuffed (such has snouts, heads, feet, etc.) will typically have this in it. Additionally almost all the plush that are online exclusives and cannot be purchased unstuffed will be filled with this. Plush ordered online that can be purchased stuffed or unstuffed, if you ordered stuffed will sometimes have this and sometimes will have cluster stuffing, which is the traditional BAB stuffing.
Our next type of stuffing is "Cluster Stuffing". Cluster stuffing is the traditional stuffing BAB is known for and what is inside all of their stuffing machines in store. You'll often times see this referred to as the "good stuff". Cluster stuffing is made up of a ton of small little balls or clusters. This gives the stuffing a spongy feeling to it. I would describe cluster stuffing as being a medium density. Personally cluster stuffing is one of my all time favorite stuffings. Plush filled with it have a wonderful squishy and cuddly nature to them while the stuffing is still dense enough to give the plush support. Another thing I really like about cluster stuffing is how firmly you pack it will change the feel of the plush a lot. This means it gives people the option to choose everywhere from a lightly stuffed and very squishy plush to a firmly stuffed plush that has a lot of support and less squishiness when hugged. This makes the plush truly customizable to the individual.
The good news is BAB policy is any BAB can be taken into a store and restuffed at anytime! Because they exclusively use cluster stuffing in stores this mean your BAB will be refilled with the high quality cluster stuffing. If your BAB has the traditional fiberfill and you wish to have the cluster stuffing, you can simply take it in and have your local bear builders unstuff and restuff it for you for completely free! (Just please make sure your BAB is clean. If it's dirty enough to pose a potential hazard/sanitization issue they are within their right to refuse to restuff it.)
The last type of stuffing I want to mention is "mochi stuffing". Now this is not a type of stuffing that BAB offers, it's one you will have to buy yourself. Mochi stuffing will also often be referred to as "squish stuffing" or "down alternative stuffing". When trying to find it to purchase online I find the best success is searching for "down alternative stuffing". This is the same type of stuffing you will find inside squish style plush. Alternatively instead of buying the stuffing I've also seen people harvest it from squish plush.
Mochi stuffing is one of the newer plush being used in plush. It's extremely different than any other stuffings out there. It's very light and thin in nature. When you pull it apart I find it reminds me a lot of cob webs. This stuffing produces the most soft and squishy feeling possible inside of a plush. However a BAB filled with this won't quite feel the same as your squish plush. The the thing that makes squish plush have that signature squish to them is a combination of both the stuffing AND the fabric. Squish plush are made of a special 4 way stretch minky that usually has spandex in it, making it extremely stretchy. Most BAB are made out of faux fur, and occasionally traditional minky fabric. These fabric have very little stretch to them. So while it will add some squishiness to your BAB it will not produce the same feeling as you will find is squish plush.
Personally when it comes to stuffing I primarily prefer cluster stuffing as it has a great soft cuddly feeling to it, yet can be packed firmly enough to still give plush good support for those with a more sculpture design. Occasionally there are times I prefer the others. My BAB frogs I all have stuffed with mochi stuffing because they are made of such an extremely soft faux fur I find the extra squishiness to compliment them well. There are some very few occasions in which I also appreciate the cheap traditional fiberfill stuffing. Particularly in the piñata from BAB I really liked the crunchy feeling because it felt very appropriate to a piñata. In custom plush I sew I most frequently use traditional fiberfill but a much higher quality version that does not have a wiry feel to it at all. This is because most of the plush I make have a lot of sculpted details in them and are meant for display only. I've found the traditional fiberfill densely packed does slightly better at allowing those details to be expressed and sculpted out further.
Hopefully this helps clarify the differences between stuffing types and helps you choose which one is best for each of your plush!
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