An old stuffed animal often suffers the same fate as old clothing: if it wasn't outgrown while still new, its first owner will probably wear it out so much that it won't be much use to the second. Even organizations that accept used toys often don't accept used stuffed animals, because they're hard to clean.

Worse yet, stuffed animals are hard to give away. These toys are Real. Even as adults, it can be hard to shake the feeling that we're abandoning old friends when we send old plushies off to an uncertain--or grimly certain--fate. On the other side of the transaction, it can be hard to accept a secondhand stuffed animal because, again, they're hard to clean. Who knows what biohazard some unknown child may have left in the fur?

Loved Before fills this gap by handling stuffed animal reuse with a lot more dignity. When submitting an animal, donors also provide the animal's name and a short story about its life and personality. The animal gets repaired and steam-cleaned up to a regiftable state, and their name and story are included when they get packaged for their new home. The new owner gets a toy in good condition, and the old owner has some assurance that their old friend will go to a loving home where their history will be honored.

All their brick-and-mortar presence is in the UK at the moment, but some animals get posted for adoption on their website every Monday evening (GMT). These sell out pretty fast.

Their contact page leads to a link to register interest in global expansion. I hope this comes to the USA soon; there's clearly a need for a trustworthy place to send these old friends. I'm also not at all surprised that this sort of thing started in the UK first. Where else could this get started but the homeland of Winnie the Pooh and The Velveteen Rabbit?