Sophie Le Giraffe (or Sophie La Giraffe), the popular infant teething toy, was "born in," or first manufactured in Asnieres-sur-Oise, near Paris, France, by the Delacoste Company. Since 1991, the Sophie Giraffe teether has been manufactured by the Vulli Company, located in the Rumilly, in the Haute-Savoie region of France, near Paris. The Vulli Company belongs to businessman Alain Thirion Vosges, who controls several businesses actie in textiles and childcare products.
Sophie was officially "born" on Thursday, May 25th, 1961. Sophie's name refers to her launch on 25 May 1961, the day associated with the name "Sophie." As such, the teething Giraffe, Sophie, has celebrated her 50th birthday, and is still going strong!
Born in France, the teething giraffe is also referred to as "Sophie la Giraffe," and "Sophie le Giraffe." She is also referred to as "Sophie Giraffe", "Giraffe Sophie", "the Giraffe named Sophie", "Sophie the Teething Giraffe", "The Giraffe Teething Toy", "Vulli Giraffe", or just "The Teething Giraffe." Her name is not uncommonly misspelled as: "Sofie the Giraffe", "Sophie the Girafe", "Sofie La Giraffe", "Sophie Le Giraffe", or even "Sophie the Giraff."
The idea for creating and manufacturing Sophie le Giraffe came from Monsieur Rampeau, in 1961, who was an expert in transforming and molding the sap from the Hevea tree into a form of 100% natural rubber. With his special formulation of Hevea tree sap rubber, Rampeau made rubber toys.
At that time, children's toys were often made in the form of farm animals or pet figures, typically cows, pigs and rabbits. As such, Monsieur Rampeau wanted to design an infant teething toy that could be easily distinguished from farm animal toys. He came up with the idea of designing an exotic, rubber giraffe, which could be safely and durably used by infants to assist with teething.
As the first toy on the European market like it, the design for Sophie le Giraffe hasn't changed at all since 1961. Sophie is "traditionally" hand produced today in much the same was as she was over fifty years ago, now being produced by The Vulli Company. Sophie is cast from natural rubber, using over fourteen manual operations and trademarked, "secret processes." The Vulli employees manufacture between 900 and 1200 Vulli Sophie Giraffe infant teethers a day.
Manufactured and distributed initially only in Europe, Sophie le Giraffe was immediately popular. The marketing for this infant teething toy was simple (but effective!) word of mouth. Due to her quick and enduring popularity, Sophie le Giraffe became well-know, even famous throughout Europe. It was nearly 40 years later, in 2000, that Sophie le Giraffe was introduced into the United States.
Even more than 50 years later, many generations of infants and children have enjoyed teething and playing with Sophie le Giraffe in Europe and the United States, as well as in at least 46 other countries of the world.
As reported by Stephanie Arnaud, the Marketing Director of Vulli SA, the Sophie Giraffe Teether reportedly was purchased over 816,000 times in France in 2010. That means that there were nearly as many Sophies purchased in in France in 2010, as there were babies born in France in 2010. Per Arnaud, as of 2011, over 50 million Sophies have been sold. The Sophie Giraffe teether accounts for at least 40% of the Vulli production, and as much as 60% of the Vulli production, if you include the Sophie "derivative" products.
According to Ali Wing, who is the founder of the baby emporium Giggle, Sophie le Giraffe baby teether "is unique, because it's such a consistent seller – every day, every week, every month, every quarter, every store, [and] every state." "It's the gift that keeps on giving."
In an article by Josh Levin in Slate, the online current affairs and culture magazine, he stated, "Indeed, my informal survey of friends and colleagues with small children turned up but a few giraffe-free households."
Levin heard comments like, "Dude, of course we have Sophie," and stories of mothers who were introduced to and purchased Sophie in a Bay Area baby store, and another mother who reported that the giraffe teethers were omnipresent in her "bumps and babes" group in Abu Dhabi. Levin even heard two parents confess sheepishly that they had obtained the Sophie giraffe teether to avoid that feeling that, "you're a bad parent if you have not purchased this giraffe."
