The story of Embroider Buddy didn’t start with a clever product pitch or a sudden trend. It starts with a toy business and a problem someone really needed to solve.
A Toy Business Born in 1944
The roots of Embroider Buddy go back to 1944 in Toronto. That’s when Morris Kotzer and his brother started a small toy company called Parkdale Creature Comforts and later Parkdale Novelty Co. Ltd. For decades, this company made stuffed toys, novelties, and bears for gift and specialty markets.
Donna Kotzer Jacobs grew up immersed in the family business, learning what made toys successful and made-to-last.
In the early 2000s, embroiderers wanted something different: a stuffed toy that was easy to stitch on. They didn’t want loose stuffing, awkward shapes, or awkward stitching spots. They wanted a product that was simple to hoop and personalize.
Donna took that problem seriously. She worked on prototypes for three years, trying Velcro at first before realizing it wouldn’t hold up well. She landed on a design with a hidden zipper and a removable pillow pod. A clever solution that lets you take the stuffing out, hoop the plush, stitch your design, then put it back and zip it up.
That simple design is the core of Embroider Buddy: something that feels soft and classic as a toy, but also is as easy to embroider as a piece of fabric.
The Birth of Embroider Buddy
Once the design clicked, the first Embroider Buddy products hit the market. They looked familiar, like a stuffed toy you’d pick up for your kid, but under the surface, they were special. Embroider Buddy wasn’t just another stuffed animal. It was a canvas for personalized designs.
It didn’t take long for stitchers and other hobbyists to embrace the concept. Imprinting businesses picked them up too, making personalized gifts for birthdays, new babies, weddings, whatever moment deserved something made just for you.
The Clara Classic Collection
About a decade after the first Embroider Buddy took shape, Donna introduced something that looked both backward and forward: the Clara Classic Collection.
This line was named for Donna’s mother, Clara, a creative, artistic, hands-on type who inspired the approach behind it all. The Clara Classic Collection was about taking that embroidery-friendly idea and wrapping it in shapes that feel timeless: soft animals, familiar friends, something comforting and familiar yet still totally yours once you stitch it.
Bella Bunny is one of those classics. Sweet without being saccharine, soft without being too plain, Bella invites you to add your own touch right onto her belly. (And when you’re done, she still makes a great snuggle buddy.)
Meet a Few Buddies You’ll Recognize
Here are some of our most popular Embroider Buddies:
Mister Buddy Bear
The original – a classic bear shape with a big belly, perfect for embroidery or imprinting. He’s the kind of friend who feels like a traditional teddy, but becomes yours once you personalize him.
Rory Lion Buddy
Rory features a soft, plush body, a full, textured mane, and a generously sized belly, making it easy to embroider or imprint.
Bella Bunny Buddy
As one of the original Clara Classic Collection members, Bella Bunny is simple and timeless, with a flat, round tummy intentionally created as an ideal space for personalized embroidery.
Embroider Buddy Today
Embroider Buddy might have a long history, but its mission hasn’t changed: make plush personalization easy and fun. Thanks to that original hidden-zipper idea, you don’t need to fight with stuffing or weird seams. You remove the pillow pouch, hoop it, stitch, pop it back, and your creation is done.
Over the years, new Buddies, backpacks, holiday items, and other customization-ready products have been added to the lineup. But the heart of it, as a toy business that’s committed to making toys that are loveable and built-to-last, still shapes how these products are made and used.
If you’re new to Embroider Buddy or you’ve been stitching or imprinting for years, that mix of toy heritage and hands-on creativity is what keeps people coming back.