By Ollie Campbell 

You probably heard of the infamous Squishmallow plush toys. They are round, fluffy, and soft as a baby’s skin. They have hundreds of characters and designs you can collect. They are a nation-wide must-have. From children to adults, it’s very likely you know at least one person who owns or collects them. Despite the social craze surrounding the Squishmallow brand, there is a lesser known company that makes even better plushies. 

Peepy is a collector’s item produced by the revenged based company ItemLabel, which is located in Maryland. Peepy plushies are in a shape resembling a peanut. They have ears, a tail, four little nubs as their legs, eyes and a beak. They come in a variety of colors and patterns. They also have squeakers, and are probably mistaken as dog toys at first because of that. Usually the designs are based after certain animals, foods, gaming references, etc. I, myself, own a Peepy. My Peepy is the Axolotl-py (designed after the animal, the axolotl).  Each Peepy design is given a backstory for you to read before purchasing. There are also limited edition Peepy plushies for extreme fans out there. The Peepy plush usually sells for $20. Prices can vary depending on the design. 

ItemLabel also sells a collection of other characters and merchandise on their website. OuiOuis, MunMuns, and their Peepy vinyl figures are all blind bags that you can get. OuiOuis is the most popular out of the three.  The company also sells shirts, hats, patches, and Peepy carrying pouches. ItemLabel also produces music for their Peepy collection. The songs are funky and odd, but it fits the theme of the Peepy plushies. 

With Peepy plushies not being very mainstream, you’d expect the fandom to be quite small. The fandom is actually pretty decent sized. My friend group, for example, are all huge ItemLabel fans. There is a whole community of social media. ItemLabel themselves made a Discord server for fans to communicate and share their love for Peepy. I personally think the ItemLabel fandom is way more fun and interesting than the Squishmallow fandom. They don’t even compare.  With the limited quantities and far better designs, it makes collecting so much more fun. Ditch those unoriginal Squishmallows, and order yourself a Peepy instead. You won’t regret it!