Launching a Wool Sheep into a Polyester World

Curt is made from 100% wool inside and out, with over 70% of that wool sourced from British sheep.

The original idea for Curt the Sheep came from my father and soon after, Curt made his first appearance as a woolly mascot for the 2012 London Olympics.  He took the form of a 90oz tufted floor rug made entirely from British Wool using a special “Olympic” yarn and was known as Curt the Olympic Sheep.

Today, Curt has returned in a very different form.  He is now a premium children’s soft toy made from 100% wool inside and out, with over 70% of that wool sourced from British sheep.

I remember the original Curt well because I was tasked with making those rugs, working alongside a specialist carpet tufter based in West Yorkshire.  Over the decade that followed, Curt rugs were shipped all over the world.

Like the Doctor, Curt has taken on many forms in his time.  It was only in recent years that I realised the UK toy market was missing something important, a proper wool sheep soft toy.

Looking back to when I first entered the textile industry, wool sheep were not uncommon.  If you worked in textiles or natural fibres, you would often see one or two available through British Wool or other manufacturers.  They were small ambassadors for a remarkable material.

Then, gradually, they disappeared.

After being unable to find a 100% wool sheep cuddly toy anywhere in the UK, I returned to the idea and committed to producing Curt.

Through the 2010s, synthetic plush steadily tightened its grip on the soft toy market.  Polyester became the default.  Cheaper.  Lighter.  Easier to mass produce.  Demand for wool toys declined while demand for ‘pop’ plush toys soared.  As someone who has worked with wool for over twenty years, I noticed the absence.

Curt the Sheep had long existed as our wool mascot. He represented natural fibre and British farming. A material with heritage and substance.  In the late 2010s, I began developing Curt into a character who could defend wool while appealing to families seeking more considered material choices for their children.

Those plans were paused during the uncertainty of the pandemic years.  In 2024, after being unable to find a 100% wool sheep cuddly toy anywhere in the UK, I returned to the idea and committed to producing Curt properly.  Not a token wool trim.  Not a blended fabric.  A wool sheep launched deliberately into a polyester world.

Wool offers something different. It has character. It has warmth. It carries a story that begins long before it reaches a child’s arms.

Curt is made from 100% wool inside and out, with over 70% of that wool sourced from British sheep.  His dense 20mm wool pile gives him a reassuring weight and texture.  His filling is wool.  His face and legs are wool.  The result is a toy that feels natural and authentic in the hand.

Nearly all plush toys today are made from polyester.  That is not a criticism, it is simply the reality of modern manufacturing.  Wool offers something different.  It has character.  It has warmth.  It carries a story that begins long before it reaches a child’s arms.

Launching Curt has been about more than creating another soft toy.  It has been about restoring a material to a space it once occupied naturally.  In all my years working with wool, I never imagined it would be so difficult to find a sheep soft toy made from wool.  Hopefully, Curt the Sheep will help highlight natural wool to families looking for safe, responsible children’s toys.

The first flock of Curt the Sheep toys has now arrived in Harrogate, with further stock due later this spring.  He is available exclusively at curtthesheep.com but may soon appear in independent retailers around Yorkshire.

In a market dominated by synthetic plush, Curt stands as a quiet alternative. A wool sheep, returned to where he belongs.