Quickly becoming a viral sensation, the Cubcoats stuffed animal easily unzips to become a hoodie sweater. While the concept may seem incredibly simple, Cubcoats could easily make $10 million in sales in 2018 and could become the next big toy craze around the world. The concept was scouted early in its development as it received funding from Jen Rubio, co-founder of Away; Daniel and Michael Broukhim, cofounders of FabFitFun; Dreamers Fund; which is founded by Will Smith, and even Major League Baseball.
All of this support has lead Cubcoats to rapidly expand as it aims to go way beyond its simple origins. The aim seems to be to create an immersive world, in which each of the individual stuffed toys have their own distinct narrative.
What's Driving This Trend
- Convertible Products
- The popularity of two-in-one stuffed toys like Cubcoats demonstrates the demand for innovative products that offer multiple functionalities.
- Viral Sensations
- The rapid rise of Cubcoats as a viral sensation highlights the power of social media in creating global toy crazes.
- Narrative Merchandising
- Cubcoats' aim to create an immersive world with distinct narratives for each stuffed toy opens up opportunities for storytelling and merchandising tie-ins.
Who This Affects Most
- Toy Manufacturing
- The success of Cubcoats as the next big toy craze presents an opportunity for toy manufacturers to explore innovative, multi-functional designs.
- Apparel Retail
- The convergence of stuffed animals with hoodies in products like Cubcoats creates a new market for apparel retailers to tap into.
- Entertainment Merchandise
- The narrative-driven approach of Cubcoats presents new opportunities for entertainment companies to create merchandising tie-ins with their characters or storylines.
