The Embroider Buddy® Story

Embroider Buddy®’s story began when inventor Donna Kotzer Jacobs  joined Parkdale Creature Comforts, the plush toy business her father Morris started in 1944 in Toronto. Servicing the gift, souvenir and specialty markets, Donna soon developed a successful line of stuffed bears and  “Whatzupwiththat!® Bearwear” for the custom-imprint sector.

But she quickly realized embroiderers needed something more. They wanted a stuffed toy with a large area to embroider, and stuffing that could be removed and re-inserted quickly and easily. There was nothing like it on the market.

So, she set to work inventing one.

“I spent three years working and re-working prototypes,” Donna explains. “At first I was going to use Velcro. However, someone questioned whether the design would be childproof…so I tried a hidden zipper.

“Speaking to embroiderers, I sensed they were not too keen on having to stuff the bear with handfuls of loose stuffing. I decided to create a ‘pillow pouch’ in the shape of the bear’s belly that can be inserted and removed easily.”

And so, the Embroider Buddy® was born. Its simple, innovative design makes embroidery as easy as 1-2-3!

1. Unzip the Embroider Buddy®’s hidden zipper and remove the pillow pouch.
2. Insert the hoop front or back and embroider.
3. ​Pop the pillow back in, zip up and you’re done!