Are placenta teddy bears the next new toy? I hope not, but the Placenta Teddy Bear by Alex Green was one of the toy designs showcased at the ‘Doing it for the Kids’ exhibition, which aims to display the latest innovative and sustainable toy concepts.
I don’t know how many mothers actually engage in placentophagy—eating the placenta of their child after childbirth, believed to prevent postpartum depression—but according to Inhabitots, placenta teddy bears are an interesting "alternative for those who don’t necessarily want to eat their baby’s placenta, but want to pay their respects to the life sustaining organ."
How does one make placenta teddy bears? After cutting the placenta in half, it is rubbed with sea salt to cure it. When it dries out, it is treated with tannin and egg yoke, an emulsifying mixture that makes it soft and pliable. Then, you shape it into a teddy bear! Piece of cake (um, I mean placenta).
Placenta Teddy Bears
The 'Doing It for the Kids' Exhibition Honors the Life-Sustaining Organ
Trend Themes
1. Placenta Teddy Bears - Placenta teddy bears are an innovative and sustainable toy concept that offers a unique way to honor the placenta as a life-sustaining organ.
Industry Implications
1. Toy Manufacturing - The toy manufacturing industry can explore the creation of placenta teddy bears as a disruptive and sustainable toy concept.
2. Parenting and Baby Products - The parenting and baby products industry can consider offering placenta teddy bears as a unique and sentimental item for new parents to commemorate their child's birth.
3. Alternative Therapies - The alternative therapies industry can incorporate placenta teddy bears as a tool for therapy or healing practices related to postpartum depression or birth experiences.