We are the most intriguing biggest little Stuffed Animal shop in California
We also feature Decorative House and Garden Flags for the home
plus amazing Three-dimensional Greeting Cards!
Store Hours:
Monday-Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10 AM - 6 PM
Thursday 2 PM -7 PM
Sunday 11 AM -5 PM
1410 Industrial Park Ave. at the Tri-City Shopping Center in Redlands, CA, 92374
(email:startulipstuffies@earthlink.net)
Extremely easy access from Interstate 10 in Redlands between San Bernardino and Palm Springs!
Find us NOW at our NEW HOME, at 1410 Industrial Park Avenue in the Tri-City Center
Open 7 days a week!
Friends from Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura Counties and beyond: Do you pass "routinely" through Redlands on your travels?
Make Us a “regular” stop!
Today is Tuesday, August 4, 2020
We will be OPEN until about 6 PM today
We are OPEN for business, regular hours, for the foreseeable future!
SPECIAL ALERT: Our REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS are about to CHANGE (just a little)!
As of Saturday, August 8, our Weekday and Saturday hours will be 10:30 AM until 6 PM and Sunday's will remain at 11 AM until 5 PM. However we WILL BE CLOSED at least through August and September on TUESDAYS. Since we are prevented by COVID-19 from visiting Kathy's Mom at her nursing facility in Pomona, we will be OPEN regular weekday hours (10:30 AM - 6 PM) on Thursdays until we are again permitted to go see her.
Now that school, such as it is, is beginning, we want to encourage anyone teaching/learning, especially at the grade school though middle-school levels, but perhaps even beyond, to consider shopping with us for quality teaching aids and/or rewards for your students putting up with distance learning or home-schooling!
We have African, Australian, Asian, South American Rain Forest, Desert, Forest and Ocean Habitat displays full of realistic plush animals from these places, as well as Stable/Barnyard areas and Domestic Cat and Dog Collections. We are purposefully set up to honor Nature and provide education and enrichment tools (that happen to have artistic as well as comfort value, too) for anyone with an interest in how and where wild and domestic animals live and function. We also have a Fantasy area wherein resides a more imaginative and whimsical set of creative plush creatures.
AND we have a TON of biology-relevant plush Body Parts, Cells, Organelles and life-related organic Molecules from I Heart Guts and Giant Microbes that all come with informative hang-tags to help enlighten about their functions and reinforce that knowledge--sometimes even including a bad pun or two (these even make pretty good gag gifts for patients recently undergoing (or physicians who perform) e.g., Heart or Lung surgeries, Gall Bladder or Appendix Removals, Kidney Dialysis or Transplants, Hip or Knee Replacements, etc.)! Shouldn't your biology student be the first on the block to own their very own plush Brain or Liver or Pancreas or Intestines or...? We actually did not ourselves realize just how much medical/biological "material" we can provide until we began attempting to photograph all the pieces--scroll down to see--we bet you will be equally surprised!
We have resumed our REGULAR BUSINESS HOURS and you can come inside to shop if you are comfortable with that!
Was it insane to drive across the desert to Kingman Arizona and back in the dead of summer? Yes!
Was it worth it to meet this little guy? ABSOLUTELY!
Meet "Gilead" being held by Breeder Julie Vanderlinden of Shadow Mountain (now Long Valley) Aussies about a week before our visit (at about 4 weeks old) on July 29. His Dad is "Gideon" and we wanted to name him something at least as distinguished! The esoteric history associated with this name, per Wikipedia, includes the fact that Balm of Gilead was a rare perfume used medicinally, that was mentioned in the Bible, and named for the region of Gilead, where it was produced. The expression has come to signify a universal cure in figurative speech. "Gilead" as a given name means roughly "everlasting joy (or happiness)" in Hebrew.
"Gilead" will likely quickly be shortened to "Gilly", which our favorite Reference Librarian (thanks Bonnie!) informs us is colloquial English for a carnation!
What do you think?
We received a very special shipment from Two-Group/Breeze Decor Flag Co. on Monday, June 29! It included some custom House and Garden Flags in a special design we created just for Redlands!
and follow them on Facebook at:
Since we had no idea how well this concept will be received or supported by the Redlands Community, we had runs of only one dozen each of these flags printed by our long-time, local to SoCal Flag supplier, Two-Group/Breeze Decor Flags. These are available in store for as long as they last, but Two-Group has our artwork and can print more with probably about a two-week wait. We will take prepaid orders for additional flags once we run out of the first printing. We should note that these are quality, double-side flags that read correctly on front or back. The cost for the House size is $35, including sales tax and for the Garden size, $20, also including sales tax, which we will pay.
Although we live in Yucaipa, we have always loved doing business here in Redlands because of how it does function as a community, probably due a lot to its own richly diverse history and culture, with members coming together to help each other when the going gets tough! We are honored to have the opportunity to participate in giving back a little!
HERE is the Design:
So what, besides Silly Food, do you think we most recently got in store from Douglas Company?
Why, CATS, of course!
Here is an absolute confection of a lush, long-haired beige and white cat from Douglas. Laying counter-positioned for more realism, the artisans at Douglas have used at least 4 or 5 five different fabrics to achieve all of the sumptuous color and texture changes on this piece. Pretty blue eyes are requesting a hug--but be advised that if you pick up "Kiki" the Ragdoll Cat, you will find it hard to put her back on the shelf! Back in stock, at least until someone does!
These gorgeous BIG (about 7" wide by 7" long!) Acrylic Crystal Parrots from Ganz come in two brilliant color designs! We love the detailed eyes--and how either one (or both) flies in a lush feel of the tropics on the wing!
Each perched on its own branch, we have three color versions of this beautiful Acrylic Crystal Cockatoo from Ganz! There is a yellow accented, solid yellow-crested clear version, a clear version with a multi-colored crest and a solid clear peach colored one with slightly darker crest and accents! Each of these lovelies is about 6" tall from tip of the crest to the end of the tail. Summery decor inspired by tropical Australia!
And just for warm-weather kicky silliness we have these cute Acrylic Crystal Flip Flops from Ganz in four different hot tints, each decorated with a pretty contrasting flower! Big enough at 4.5" long to discern all that detail, too!
Uh-oh...
We just realized that we ordered so much "Stuff" for our Medical Area from both I Heart Guts AND Giant Microbes that we had to expand our display for this "interesting" Collection...
The I Heart Guts shipment arrived in June and plush Body Parts/Organs from this supplier found their way onto the shelves of our newly expanded Medical Area! They have now been surrounded by plush Cells, Organelles and Molecules in a shipment from Giant Microbes that was delivered a few days later!
Giant Microbes used to package a number of their cells and germs as mini pieces of three inside of a deep Petri Dish. They no longer do this, probably for the same reason sleeve after sleeve of Petri Dishes shipped to the research lab Kathy once worked at were returned for replacement--Petri Dishes are incredibly subject to fracturing with the slightest ding in the right spot, so losses probably made this kind of packaging, while adorable, a case of diminishing returns! That is certainly not to say we no longer can get, for example, plush Red Blood Cells. They simply are only available only as individual, larger (the "giant" in Giant Microbes!) pieces. As you can see, these are at least as cute, if not more so, as the mini versions! In order for you to better see them, we will be showcasing additional plush Cells that arrived in the most recent shipment from Giant Microbes and are now surrounding the I Heart Guts plush Body Parts in our Medical Display Area!
If you are going to make plush Red Blood Cells you pretty-much HAVE to make plush White Bloods Cells as well! No worries! Giant Microbes does just that! (Now in store in our Medical Area!)
And to be sure those Red Blood Cells can properly clot as needed, there must also be Blood Platelets, AKA thrombocytes) Not enough Platelets in the blood can result in bleeding that cannot be stopped, but too many can cause spurious clots that can cause heart attacks and strokes.
And, of course all of those different kinds of Blood Cells need some kind of medium to swim around in while being transported throughout the body to do their jobs. Enter Blood Plasma, a bit of a challenge to convey as an individual plush item. Giant Microbes' solution to the problem is to present Blood Plasma as a single "liquid" droplet, albeit a slightly fuzzy one (which we also think looks a little like a fried egg...), lacking nothing at all in terms of "personality"!
Meet a plush version of a Stem Cell! Stem Cells are undifferentiated cells, for example those found at the center of early mammalian embryos, that have the capacity to develop into almost any kind of specialized cell needed to function in various developing/adult tissues. Deciding what specialized cells stem cells ultimately become is a highly complex process depending on precise regulation mechanisms, but until that happens a Stem Cell has the capacity to develop in any direction. Note how this trait is suggested here by the rainbow coloration and neutral expression of the as yet undefined plush Stem Cell!
Our very favorite thing abut supplying our Medical Area is what a great marriage the plush Body Parts from I Heart Guts make with complimentary plush Cells from Giant Microbes!
Here is a perfect case in point: The plush Heart is from the former and the Heart Cell is from the latter. We love how anatomically correct I Heart Guts has made the Heart--and that the Heart Cell from Giant Microbes not only makes a faint heartbeat sound, but lights up in concert with it when pressed...!
Here's another great example of I Heart Guts providing the plush organ, in this case a highly detailed Section of Skin, including a hair follicle and its attendant hair, and Giant Microbes making the individual Skin Cell(s), although much more "giant" than the scale of the chunk of skin!
If we can have a plush Pancreas from I Heart Guts, it seems only fitting to also have plush Pancreatic Beta Cells from Giant Microbes! Since Beta Cells are the ones specialized to produce Insulin to manage blood sugar levels, Giant Microbes includes a plastic model of an Insulin (gigantic!) Molecule stashed away inside a special zippered pouch inside each Beta Cell!
Today's Medical Dynamic Duo is plush organ, the Stomach from I Heart Guts accompanied by an individual Stomach Cell from Giant Microbes!
It take a LOT of Muscle Cells to build a big strong Muscle. Luckily, Giant Microbes makes plush Muscle Cells and I Heart Guts has the "Muscle" to provide the plush organ they make up!
This plush organ from I Heart Guts says he is a "Liver, not a Fighter" (I Heart Guts can never resist printing a horrible pun on any given label of theirs...). The little plush Liver Cell from Giant Microbes looks like he is just waiting to get together with some like-minded associates to form this important organ!
This I Heart Guts plush organ represents a Kidney. The particular plush Kidney Cell that Giant Microbes decided to make is a Podocyte, a very specialized kind of cell that, with the help of very specific proteins, wraps itself around tiny knots of blood capillaries within the kidney to facilitate filtering of waste from the bloodstream, an amazingly complex process that allows two kidneys to clean 400 gallons of blood every day!
Her is a lovely plush Brain brought to you by I Heart Guts and surrounded by its supporting cast of a plush Brain Cell and Nerve Cell from Giant Microbes!
The huge Knee Joint on the left is one of the newest "organs" from I Heart Guts! As it happens, theirs is a healthy joint. Giant Microbes, who in addition to cells and molecules also specializes in germs and various maladies, chose to make their Knee Joint their "showpiece" for Arthritis!
Bone Cells make up our skeleton and are therefore found helping to hold our shapes, bend and maneuver, throughout our bodies.
However, sometimes things go amiss, usually not so much with bone itself as with how bones connect and interact with each other so we can move. Along with their Bone Cells, Giant Microbes offers two examples of these maladies represented in plush: Back Pain and issues leading to the requirement for Hip Replacement!
Not only does Giant Microbes make entire cells in plush, but they have even added some important cellular Organelles to their line-up!
According to Giant Microbes (we LOVE that they include information like this on all of their pieces), The "Golgi Apparatus" manufactures and packages proteins, lipids and other macromolecules produced by the cell. It assembles simple molecules into complex ones in conjunction with the Endoplasmic Reticulum..." in all eukaryotic cells, including those of both plants and animals, acting as the cells' factories.
Here is another organelle vital to eucaryotic cellular function and presented in plush by Giant Microbes! While the Golgi Apparatus is considered to be one of the main construction sites within a cell, the Mitochondria would be the energy producing centers! Biology students, this should be familiar; remember the Kreb's cycle, respiration and all those ATPs and ADPs? This is the organelle where all that happens! This is also the organelle whose own small amount of DNA, different from that in the nucleus, comes ONLY from your maternal parent, the "Eve" DNA, and thus can be used to trace maternal family lines.
Besides producing Cells and intracellular Organelles, Giant Microbes even makes plush versions of some very important Molecules on which life depends! Of primary importance in reproduction, growth, development and maintenance of living cells is, of course, DNA--and here we have a plush portion of a DNA Molecule, complete with its double-helix twisted "ladder" of coding base pairs!
Another extremely important molecule produced by our bodies is the Antibody, in the news a lot lately because researchers all over the world are trying to develop a vaccine that will effectively encourage our immune systems to create antibodies able to suppress infection by the COVID-19 virus! Each kind of Antibody is very specifically designed to capture and help put out of commission a very particular microbial invader such as COVID-19 , likely in the case of a virus by targeting an exposed protein on its external coat. Giant Microbes has even illustrated this "capture" of a target Antigen on one of the "arms" of their plush representation of an Antibody! Doesn't it look SO busted!
OK--Home-schoolers and Distance-learners, Giant Microbes (along with I Heart Guts) is here to help with those biology lessons! As we've shown, Giant Microbes makes a plethora of cellular Organelles and Molecules and here to put some of them in context is their plush version of a generic, unspecialized Animal Cell, with a handy-dandy reference card attached!
Although plant and animal cells share many internal organelles, their structures and modes of operation vary quite significantly. Here to illuminate the wonders found at the cellular level in plants is a huge plush Plant Cell, brought to you by Giant Microbes and also featuring a handy-dandy cheat-sheet, er-um, information tag, identifying its parts!
Back in stock from I Heart Guts: a plush set of Lungs, accompanied by a hang-tag with another famously bad pun!
Who else but I Heart Guts would endeavor such an "in depth" 3-D "study" in plush of a Colon? The pun on its hang-tag is even worse than the one for the plush Intestines above!
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OK--we almost always go to Douglas Company for beautifully executed realistic plush animals, especially like Dogs, Cats and Horses and wildlife like Raccoons, Owls, Sloths, Wolves, Foxes, et. al. (and we got a bunch of all of those in our most recently arrived shipment, too), but this time we could not resist their NEW offering of ridiculously cute silly plush Foodie Animals!
Are you hungry for a Corgi Burger or maybe a Taco Chihuahua? Or how about cooling off with a Watermelon Llama or a Uni-cone? There is even a guacamole evoking Avo-Gato! We have them all--find them in our Fantasy Area (ya think?)
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Having confirmed during our botany trip to Fish Creek in the San Bernardino Mountains the first week in July, albeit with only one blooming specimen, that it was, in fact the correct time (or a teensy bit early for some or most) to be looking for the beautiful and rare native Lemon Lilies to be in bloom!
We therefore availed ourselves of the lists (and maps!) of reported sightings for this species at www.calflora.org to discover that several locations in the San Gabriel Mountains might be good places to try to find additional flowering specimens! Low and behold, we found them at one such site on July 14--and not merely one or two individuals. There were probably 20 or more flowering stalks in this wet area just roadside on Highway 2. However, we would not have noticed them from the actual highway because they happen to be down the embankment slope, on it and near a flatter area, possibly with water still running, even further down! We must admit it was a bit of a challenge to try to photograph them on this very steep (about 45 degree--see the second image!)--and SLIPPERY--slope, thick with huge lupine plants and ferns, but how could we resist! It fills our hearts that plants as spectacularly beautiful and rare as this (and it is only one of many!) grow wild as native treasures here in California and we consider it an absolute blessing to be able to find and appreciate them (carefully!) in their natural settings--well worth whatever "work" that might entail!
Here is our August DISCOUNT COUPON that now appearing in the Redlands Coupons Monthly coming soon to a mailbox near you!
If you happen not to receive one in the mail, we will soon have a stack of them just inside our door. Be sure to take advantage of all of the awesome deals inside, including ours!
And we HAVE a WINNER!
Sal R. from Redlands just WON ALL of the swag in our Fantastic Spring Customer Appreciation Gift Basket!
CONGRATULATIONS Sal!
If you happen NOT to be Sal R. from Redlands, never fear! We have ALREADY begun to collect qualifying entries for our "Down on the Farm" Summer Customer Appreciation Gift Basket Drawing:
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Graduation "Stuff" (also House and Garden Graduation Flags) is still available in-store!
Here are the just arrived NEW Patriotic Decorative Flags from Custom Decor! We ordered BOTH the House and Garden sizes AND the matching 6" round Accent Magnet for each design, except the last one, which was only available as a House Flag.
OK--We made the "mistake" of taking a look at Custom Decor's selection of "Farmhouse" designs--and we simply could not resist the House and Garden sizes of these two more delightful than we expected Pigs frolicking among the pretty spring flowers along with all those Butterflies. Looks like "Hog Heaven" to us! In store NOW!
As it starts to heat up as we head into Summer we figured our Flag selection should be doing the same! In store now are the House and Garden versions of this Flag featuring HOT colored Summer Zinnias being visited by equally intensely hued sunny yellow Butterflies. And we also ordered the matching 6" Accent Magnet!
If your Summer includes bright Butterflies and Zinnias, should it not also be populated with Sunflowers, Daisies and Bees? This House or Garden Flag and matching 6" Accent Magnet can take care of that! In store NOW!
Summer is the time for lemonade and if you're gonna have lemonade, you git to have Lemons! We simply could not resist these citrus themed House and Garden Flag and matching 6" Accent Magnet designs, given their Redlands-compatible subject matter and how at home this mini tree planted in a Victorian-looking ceramic pot would be on the terrace, front porch or in the foyer of any of the beautiful local historic mansions in town.... In store NOW!
This Red-Hot vintage Pick-up Truck with the sun glinting off of its lovingly polished wax job just about screams "SUMMER!", especially loaded as it is with huge Sunflowers and Daisies and parked in a field of same! This design is in store now as both House and Garden size Flags and the matching 6" Accent Magnet!
As the heat of summer intensifies it can be a real relief to gaze on a Decorative Flag image in the cooling hues of Blue! We love this design for that very reason, besides the fact that Hydrangeas are pretty attractive in any case! Both House and Garden Flags in this style plus the matching 6" Accent Magnet are in store NOW!
We are not sure which element of design on this flag style is more attractive, the Columbine Flowers or the nearly matching Hummingbirds happily feeding on their nectar, but we love this richly hued and highly detailed summer vignette as a subject! No matching Accent Magnet exists for this design, but we BOTH the House and garden size flags are in store NOW!
This pretty flag featuring a potful of hot orangey-pink Geraniums attracting equally colorful Bees and Butterflies is on the retirement list at Custom Decor, so only the House size was available, but we couldn't resist nabbing a couple of those for Summer! In store NOW!
Here is another lovely flag on the retirement list at Custom Decor--and it was so pretty we had to grab a couple of the remaining House size Flags before they were gone (Garden size was already sold out)! In store NOW!
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Here is our additional selection of Patriotic Flags! Quantities are limited as indicated!
One of these "Patriotic Owls" in the Garden Size only
"Patriotic Barn" One Garden size left!
"Patriotic Birdhouses" in House Flag size only
"America Banner Star"
Two House size available
"Patriotic Bunting and Geraniums"
One House size left!
"Patriotic Hydrangeas"
One House size left!
"Patriotic Chair Welcome"
One House size flag left!
This fun printed and Appliqued Flamingos Flag has a trio of these elegant, albeit somewhat silly Birds with felt wing accents standing visually intertwined above a base of flowers, some of which are also dimensionally rendered! Also equally detailed on front and back, we do have this style in both House and Garden sizes!
Here is a printed, Watercolor style rendition of a pretty Pink Flamingo surrounded by swirls of fanciful pastel tropical leaves and blossoms! Printed opaquely to read correctly front and back!
Similar motifs as the design right above, but nothing pastel about this intensly hued, printed Tropical Flamingo Flag! Available in House and Garden sizes!
A printed plethora of Ladybugs and Daisies! House and Garden sizes available
Orchids and Birds "splendidly" printed on both House and garden size Flags
Printed Toucan and Tropical Foliage House and Garden Flags
Here are some adorable, extra-quality Baby Spring Barnyard critters from Douglas:
This cute cast of 4" long Barnyard Babies includes two fluffy mottled (but quiet) Chicks, one Golden-tan, one Black and White, and a downy Yellow Duckling that comes with a quacky sound chip!
One or both of these two 5" tall little Lambs from Douglas would be a perfect addition to any Easter Basket--or to anyone's collection of Barnyard beauties! Available in all white or with a black face and hooves!
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Our current Fairy and Fantasy selection:
Look at ALL of the Plush Dog Breeds we have in stock!
Thanks to "contributions" from First and Main and Douglas, our entire Dog area is freshly restocked--and brim full with breed choices!
Just FYI, we've added some interesting creatures to "fill in" our Prehistoric Collection...
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We have refilled all those empty "leaves" on our "Tree" (now again) full of Audubon Birds with the authentic sound chips recorded by Cornell University! Back in stock are Meadowlarks, Mockingbirds, House Sparrows, House Finches, Black-capped Chickadees and Eastern Bluebirds!
We also just filled in a bunch of gaps in our Forest Habitat with new pieces from Wild Republic!
Here is a montage showing critters added from the most recent shipment!
These unique pieces from Wild Republic just assisted in repopulating our South American Rain Forest Habitat!
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Sad news:
Our beautiful day on April 1 appreciating California's native plants flowering in our local deserts (far away from other people) ended sadly when we returned home to find our beloved Australian Shepherd Foxy expired as if asleep in her kennel. We are devastated because this came as a shock, especially as Foxy was always one of our healthiest dogs, and had our vet look into possible causes. It turns out the Foxy had a silent tumor, hard to detect with no symptoms to suggest its presence, on an artery at the base of her heart. It finally caused a rupture that bled into the pericardium of her heart. We consider it a blessing that she showed no signs of distress until her last few days and then slipped away peacefully after a long and happy life of being much loved. Eventually, we will replace the gaping holes in our heats with another fur baby, but for now our hearts are aching..Rest in peace, Foxy. We'll see you on the other side of that Rainbow Ridge....
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It is hard to believe that Star Tulip Stuffies, House of Fine Stuffed Animals has been open for over four years home again in Redlands, CA (we started here back in 2003 in the now-defunct old downtown Redlands Mall)!
We have lived and worked and been your neighbors in this area for more than 40 years! Star Tulip Stuffies was originally opened as a storefront in the Redlands Mall back in 2003. Since then a growing following of stuffed animal aficionados has managed to find, support and spread the word about us.
From the very beginning our intent has been to bring our customers the very best selection of the finest quality plush creatures we can find while keeping our prices as rational as we can.
We are all about choices; we like nothing better than to present several different companies’ version of the same animal because we have found that every designer will have a different take on that same critter. Thus, if you visit us, which we certainly hope to make you curious enough to do, you should not be surprised to find that, not only do we have an “unusual” creature, say a porcupine or an opossum, rendered in plush, but that we also will likely have four or five or even more styles from as many different manufacturers (with accompanying differences in sizes and prices!) of that individual kind of animal! This also means that while you will find respected and familiar names like Gund, Ganz, Douglas Cuddle Toy, Fiesta Toys, Aurora, Wild Republic, etc. on many of our products, we make a point of searching out quality companies less well known, especially in California, that you may only brush up against on a trip to the zoo or aquarium (we really love the educational kick provided by those extremely realistic representations!) or while traveling east of the Rocky Mountains (many retailers are simply unwilling to stand the cost of shipping some of these…)--or that are just outrageously esoteric (we have plush germs--in Petri dishes, no less--by GiantMicrobes and body parts--if I only had a brain--from I [Heart] Guts!
Our selection is so diverse (we are simply stuffed with “stuff”, but then “stuff” is what we do!) in order to keep track of everything we have resorted to arrangement by habitat! When you visit (by now you know you have to if you can…) you will eventually notice that our entire shop is suggestive of the interior and exterior of a gigantic fantastic playhouse or dollhouse. “Inside” live authentic Raggedy Ann and Andy, Sesame Street characters, etc. Also living the pampered “indoor” life are plush Cats and Teddy Bears “Outside” you will find our rather extensive collection of realistic Dog Breeds (this is a personal favorite category of ours, so if someone makes a decent version of a specific breed, we will try to have it for you!), Barnyard Animals, Horses, Frog and Turtle ponds, Forest critters, Desert animals, Birds, and creatures of Central and South America, Australia, Africa and Asia as well as an area devoted to Ocean life! There is even a section “inhabited” by the fantasmagorical creatures of the imagination including dragons, faeries, unicorns and the like!
About Our Name: The “Star Tulip” part of our name alludes to our other life as occasional botanists! “Star tulips” are members of a rather large genus, Calochortus, meaning “beautiful grass”, of native Californian lilies that includes species with enchanting common names like “butterfly” or “mariposa tulips” and “faerie lanterns”. The butterfly tulips have large goblet-shaped tulip-style flowers, often marked with spots and bobbing in the breeze above their cohabitating grasses like the insects they appear to mimic. The more diminutive faerie lanterns have closed flowers on slender overarched stems and could easily be imagined to light the nighttime activities of elfin woodland inhabitants. Our tiny namesakes open fully wide and close to the ground as if they were stars scattered across the forest floor! The alliteration of “Star Tulip” and “Stuffies” was just too tempting to pass up!
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