The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s robust selection of unique and sustainable plush combined with innovative display strategies make it a bestselling and growing category year after year.
Plush is plentiful in both gift shops at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Patti Cunningham, Aramark Sports + Entertainment’s general manager of retail, says guests love the variety of brands and animal types featured as plush souvenirs. The zoo stores include plush from Wild Republic, The Petting Zoo, Fiesta Toy, Nature Planet, Aurora and Fahlo.
She says this souvenir category is even rising in popularity — the zoo increased is sales from 47,000 units of plush in 2023 to almost 60,000 units of plush in 2024.
Knowing plush is a bestseller for the store, Retail Operations Manager Heather Hendricks says the store has plenty of eye-catching plush displays.
“That’s why we have a giant mountain of plush, front and center, when you walk in,” says Hendricks. “Across from the plush mountain, we have a wall of plush that highlights big cat-themed plush. Both of these sections encompass what we call our plush category, and it’s our top-performing category.”
 Cubbies house multicolored plush near the checkout. In addition to offering many well-known plush brands, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has garnered some media attention for its new Build-An-Ecokin station it debuted at its main gift shop earlier this year.
The station allows guests to build their own plush that’s made of recycled filling materials, offering them an interactive and sustainable plush experience. (See more in the sidebar, “Building a Following” on p. 101.)
To make the most of this popular souvenir category, the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s retail team has learned some strategies that help to boost its plush sales.
Mixing it upThere are some clear favorite plush animals at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo gift shops, including the red panda, gorilla, giraffe, tiger, snow leopard, koala and wolf.
If the zoo has a new baby animal for guests to view, Cunningham and her team know that customers will want to purchase plush souvenirs of that animal as well.
“ Baby animals are always a fan favorite,” she says. “Right now, our gorilla troop is making the headlines due to our toddler, Kayembe, and his baby sisters Kunda and Jameela. So when baby animals are born at the zoo or featured in the zoo, we tend to see spikes in sales of those animal plush.”
Knowing that baby animals are a fan favorite, Retail Warehouse Operations Manager Dan Langham notes that the store’s Swaddle Baby plush options from Fiesta also sell well.
“Swaddle Baby plush that children can wear over their shoulder are top sellers lately,” says Langham, adding that kids enjoy plush like them that double as a toy and accessory.
Cunningham says the zoo store is always adding new plush to its lineup, including some options that are unique to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo such as the binturong plush.
“The binturong — also known as the bear cat — we have a plush for that!” says Cunningham. “We have one here at the zoo, that’s a newer species for us. If you get close to their enclosure, the animal smells a bit like popcorn and people love that. We were lucky enough to find a plush of it.”
 Gorilla-themed display features some plush options. In recent years, sustainability and conservation stories have also grown in popularity with customers at all types of destinations. Cunningham says conservation and sustainability are top considerations for her and her team when deciding plush and other souvenirs to stock at the gift shop. The store features a conservation display promoting custom-made Andean Bear, Trumpeter Swan, Asian Big-Headed Turtle plush and other souvenirs.
Customers appreciate that all of these products give back to conservation causes such as the Andean Bear Conservation Alliance, The Trumpeter Swan Society and the Asian Turtle Program.
“We love supporting sustainable or conservation initiatives,” says Cunningham.
Consistent housekeeping In the main gift shop, most of these cuddly souvenirs are housed either on plush mountain or along the wall at the back of the store. To ensure these cute gifts always catch guests’ eyes, the retail team also sprinkles plush throughout other displays in the store.
“We’ve got our giant plush sections, but as you walk around the store, you approach different stories that all feature a taste of the plush we have,” adds Cunningham. “In the front right now, we have a display of gorilla-themed merchandise and there’s plush there. The thought is to have something to satisfy every member of the family, from grandma to kids to mom and dad, you name it. So plush is mixed in throughout the store to support these different stories.”
Since plush is a big seller for the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Langham says he makes sure to keep on top of stocking and restocking.
 Some animal rescue kits along the store’s back wall offer kids both interactive and educational plush play. He shares, “You need to analyze your top sellers weekly and make sure those items are front and center. Then dedicate larger spaces to those items on your sales floor and in your stockroom. You have to make sure you have plenty of stock on hand.”
Simple signage also helps to point customers to popular plush.
“We have 8-inch by 11-inch signage for our specific core plush category,” says Hendricks.
During peak season, Langham adds that the zoo will have a dedicated team member assigned to restock plush and toys alone, knowing those products move quickly.
He says, “We have a great inventory system that tracks our current on-hand quantities between our warehouse and main shop. This helps us with replenishment and creating orders.”
To make sure the store’s plush category meets the mark, Cunningham adds that she and her team are always eager for ideas from guests, team members and wholesale vendors.
“We love getting feedback from our guests and members,” she says. “We’ve recently expanded our core plush offerings to include a larger variety of species guests see while at our zoo. We’ve been able to capture more sales from our zoo members by doing this. We also have great lines of communication with our venue team. They always keep us informed so we can be prepared for any upcoming births or new exhibits on-site.”
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