Highland Cows Charged $10,000 Extra Tariffs to Snuggle Your Kids
KEY POINTS
- •At New York’s Toy Fair over Presidents Day weekend 2026, several small-to-midsize companies said tariffs added $10,000 per container on plush imports from the Philippines.
- •After years of capybaras and axolotls dominating toy trends, the highland cow with caramel fur and a shaggy mop is emerging as the new stuffed-animal star.
- •Industry experts agreed tariffs, TikTok viral trends, and lingering Labubu mania cast uncertainty over future toy business strategies despite the crackdown on prices.
At New York's Toy Fair, plush makers lamented $10,000 tariff hits per container on their luxury Filipino-crafted fluffies, insisting prices haven't risen yet—because who wouldn't sell adorable highland cows at a loss? Long past their moment in the sun, capybaras and pink salamanders (axolotls) are stepping aside for caramel-furred, mop-haired cows—the new A-listers of cuddly, competitive stuffed animals. Industry experts tossed out squirrels, pigeons, and woolly mammoths as contenders, but consensus crowned the shaggy bovines the future of plush pop culture. Meanwhile, nostalgia and internetshopping chaos swirl, with brands chasing viral Labubu fever and sudden TikTok hype causing 8-year-olds greater heartbreak than trick-or-treat candy shortages.
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Because kids clearly need hipster highland cows squeezing into their toy overload while tariffs punch toymakers in the gut. Merchants sweat, kids cry, but at least the cow is cute enough to distract from economic chaos.
Toy industry stops trying to predict trends, sticks with highland cows and hopes tariffs don't float them away.
Capybaras out, highland cows in—proving even toys obey fashion cycles dictated by fur length and inexplicable catchy appeal.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 2/17/2026 | Author: Katie Notopoulos
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