Sophie the Giraffe

[1] The toy has been made in France (as Sophie la Girafe) since 1961, first in Asnières-sur-Oise, near Paris by Delacoste then from 1991 by Vulli based in Rumilly in the French Alps.

It has achieved national icon status in France, according to Slate, with more sold each year (816,000 in 2010) than babies are born (796,000).

The reasons proposed for this success are that it is marketed as eco-friendly[1] and a growing consumer mistrust of the security and health standards of products made in China since 2007.

The November 2011 issue of German consumer magazine Öko-Test reported that Sophie the Giraffe should not be sold in Germany due to a violation of statutory limit values for nitrosatable substances.

Vulli initially said that another regulation applies, the EU guidelines for toys, with a limit of 1 mg/kg, and obtained a preliminary injunction of the District Court in Berlin banning publication of Öko-Test's report.