The making of Sophie la Girafe has remained consistent since her birth on May 25th, 1961 to ensure parents know exactly what they are giving their children. 

60 years ago on the feast day of St. Madeleine-Sophie Barat, Mr. Rampeau, a latex specialist, saw an opening in the children’s toy market in France. Back then, toys were typically only modeled after pets and farm animals. So he decided to introduce to children the beautiful, long-necked, giraffe.

What is Sophie Made From?

Rampeau was an expert in transforming latex, extracted from Hevea trees, into a moldable substance. The rubber was originally extracted using the vulcanization technique founded in 1928 by Charles Goodyear. This method uses a chemical process, which combines the rubber and sulphur in order to elevate the temperature to create an elastic material. 

Still, to this day, each Sophie la Girafe teether is handcrafted in France from 100% natural rubber and non-toxic food dye.

Vulli, Sophie’s current manufacturer, continues this tradition by extracting latex exclusively from Hevea trees in Malaysia. However, the technique they use is a tad bit different. Every morning, before the trees heat up, the pure latex drips from underneath the bark and is collected. This milky substance is naturally elastic, insulating, and waterproof. 

Later, Vulli heats the rubber and casts a mold using the rotomoulding technique, where it is filled with the latex and rotated until thoroughly covered. Then, each mold goes through 14 separate operations in order to create the final Sophie la Girafe teether we all know and love! Every detail you see, from her spots to her rosy cheeks, are created from hand using non-toxic food dye.

Before distribution, one Sophie from each batch undergoes a stretch test to ensure the latex does not break and is teething-ready!

What Makes Sophie la Girafe So Great?

Still, to this day, each Sophie la Girafe teether is handcrafted in France from 100% natural rubber and non-toxic food dye. This means that parents can rest assured that they are giving their little ones a toy that is safe for chewing and snuggling. The pure latex is soft, waterproof, and durable, which comes in handy during those rough teething months.

Sophie also has colorful spots, a welcoming smile, and squeaker that stimulates babies’ senses! 

The So’Pure Collection 

Sophie la Girafe is going green with the So’Pure Collection! Every single item in the collection is made from 100% natural rubber, organic cotton, and bio based materials! Even the packaging is made from recycled materials.

Hevea trees were repurposed to create the wooden toys from its rubberwood, which is naturally soft and resistant. This means that all of the wooden toys, such as the boat and rattle totem, in the So’Pure Collection required no additional chemical treatment, making it that much better for your child.

Some of the other toys in the collection, such as the Natur’rings and Natur’chew rattles, are created from 100% plant based materials derived from corn and cassava starch. This bio-based plastic is completely renewable and provides an environment-friendly alternative to other plastics. 

These products were evaluated and given the OK Bio-Based certification, obtaining four stars to prove that they are made from 100% bio-based materials. 

The OK Bio-Based Certification is granted by the independent laboratory TUV Austria. They seek to find alternatives to fossil-based raw materials by scientifically concluding whether a product meets the criteria of bio-based materials. In doing so, they hope to reduce greenhouse gases and the environmental implications of using fossil fuels. 

Depending on the percentage of bio-based materials used, a product can receive a rating of one to four stars. This precise, mathematical process eliminates all of the guesswork for consumers looking to go green!

We will continue to provide the safest, healthiest toys for your precious little ones, so you can continue being the best parents!

With Love and Gratitude,

The Calisson Toy Family