IGES Feature Story Merchandise for the Fun of It Plush and Toys at Public Lands

By Sara Karnish

Purchasing souvenirs is a must for youngsters, whether they are on a school field trip or family vacation. Public lands, popular destinations for both types of getaways, carry a unique selection of toys and plush. These items appeal to young guests as cuddly friends and to parents as creative teaching tools. “Plush is an important category to our assortment because it provides a variety of experiences for kids from the soft touch to all the cute different styles, plus they provide imaginative play,” said Holly Bell , assistant retail manager, Elements Gift Shop, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area in Las Vegas, Nev. “Kids love plush and toys! It’s a great way for them to learn about desert animals and reptiles. Many of our products have an interpretive message on the tag to encourage education.”

Bell says their top selling plush is a replica of one of the Canyon’s most special friends. “Jackson the Red Rock Canyon Burro is our best seller, hands down! This adorable burro is a perfect replica of our adopted burro from his freeze mark on his neck to a recording of his brays,” she explained. “Southern Nevada Conservancy adopted Jackson when he was a baby. He lives at Red Rock Canyon Cowboy Trails and loves to receive visitors! Other popular plush animals are desert tortoise, bighorn sheep, coyotes, and rattlesnakes.”

Julie Dougherty , director of park stores at Glacier National Park in Columbia Falls, Mont., said plush grizzly bears and mountain goats are their biggest sellers. Chris Campbell , sales manager at Devils Tower National History Association in Devils Tower, Wyo., said plush prairie dogs are their top seller, followed by plush rattlesnakes and eagles. “The prairie dogs are big sellers because Prairie Dog Town is the first place visitors go in the park, so when the kids

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Merchandise for the Fun (From page 133) come into the shop, they want a plush prairie dog,” she explained. “I really think they sell themselves. I put them right by the front door. When the kids come in, they have a prairie dog in one hand and a rattlesnake in the other and ask their parents to buy them.”

As educational venues, public lands stock plush figurines which are realistic representations of the animals found within their park or conservation area. Don’t expect to find green teddy bears or purple turtles on their store shelves. “Our plush have to be animals that live in the park, so that really limits us to what we can carry,” Dougherty said. “It needs to have some interpretive value—the tag has to [include information] to teach someone about the animal.”

Non-plush toys and games available at public land stores also have some educational or practical aspect. For instance, Dougherty said binoculars are their best-selling

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