I am sure we have all had the experience of seeing something from another country and thinking, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we had something like that in _________?” For me, it was seeing other nations’ national animals represented in plush toys and thinking it would be cool to create one for the Scarlet Ibis, one of the two national birds of Trinidad and Tobago.
That was back in August 2025. Fast forward to October 2026, and I can finally say that I’ve brought the idea to life. After months of planning and working through the process, the Ibis Plush is now available on Amazon Japan.
Getting from the initial idea to a finished product involved a lot of learning along the way. I had to figure out everything required to get a product ready for sale on Amazon, from registering with GS1 to obtaining a barcode and navigating the requirements for child safety certification. It was a cool change of pace from my regular work in digital marketing and a chance to learn something completely different.
During my research, I also came across other Scarlet Ibis plush toys already on the market. Most of them take a more realistic approach to the bird’s appearance. I wanted to do something different: create something cute with a distinctly Trini twist, using a rounder shape and a kawaii-inspired style to give it the look of a traditional plush toy.
I’m currently working on making the Ibis Plush available in Trinidad and Tobago as well as on Amazon.com, so stay tuned for updates as I work on bringing it to more people!
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