The Buttercrunch Controversy
My son, going on 2 years old, has continued to amass a large booty of toys in his relatively short life so far. Recently, his vocabulary has been growing even faster than his collection of playthings; some of which is helped by teaching him the names of some of his toys. However, one of his stuff animals (herein known as Buttercrunch) recently caused a debate between my wife and I.
May I first present Exhibit A (downloaded from puffins.com):
Cute? Sure, we both agreed to that. The issue that caused our disagreement may be best described in an email I sent to Russ Berrie and Company Inc., the manufacturer of Buttercrunch:
Hi,
My wife and I were recently in debate over the species of the plush toy at hand. “Buttercrunch” is one of our son’s most beloved toys, but we have differing opinions as to what Buttercrunch really is. My wife insists that it is a giraffe, but from my experience and knowledge of wildlife, I am quite sure that one of the defining features of the giraffe is its extra long neck, which Buttercrunch lacks. Therefore, due to the normal-sized neck of the plush toy, along with its name–”Buttercrunch” (butter->reference to dairy products coming from bovine-like animals)–I am under the strong impression that Buttercrunch is a cow. This has become an object of much debate, and I would very much appreciate clarification from the creators of Buttercrunch. If it is truly a cow, I believe that my wife will only believe it if she is convinced by your company. If Buttercrunch is a giraffe, I would very much like to know why its neck is so short…could it be a defective product? If Buttercrunch is neither a giraffe or cow, I would also appreciate further description as to what it truly is. Thank you so much for your help.
Fairly impressed with my own interogation skills, I anxiously anticipated a witty response from a Russ representative. Not a day later, I received this reply:
The item you are inquiring about is a giraffe. A longer neck could pose a choking hazard.
Period. No “thanks for inquiring”, “you and your wife need counceling”, not even a “Sincerely, So-and-so”. Evenmore, that has got to be the most ridiculous excuse for a short-necked giraffe. I tried with all the brainpower I could muster to figure out how a child could manage to choke on a long-necked Buttercrunch.
Needless to say, I still refer to Buttercrunch as a cow.
Who the...?
November 14th, 2005 at 9:22 am
You’d think a toy manufacturer would be more conscious of how their customers perceive them. Sounds like a typical response from a cheap web host’s tech support. I know how disappointing it can be to receive such a curt and thoughtless reply, especially after you’ve gone to such pains to explain the issue at hand.
The choking issue, I imagine, has to do with how much longer it would take to extract the buttercrunch’s head from a child’s stomach, if they were in fact able to ingest it. The extra half second it would take to get the six inches of neck up through his esophagus could be the difference between life and death.
If counseling is not available, you could always just cut the ball-shaped ends off the horns, and stick a ring in his nose for good measure. Controversy ended.
Who in the world would name a giraffe “buttercrunch” anyway? It’s making me hungry.
November 14th, 2005 at 9:36 am
I am forced to wonder what therapy your son will require as an adult to overcome this sort of trauma. A short-necked giraffe is just bizarre. Why, it’s a crime against nature! I think the psychological damage this could cause far outweighs an modest choking hazard that might be associated with a phenotypically-correct version. Let me be the first to propose a new government agency to prevent such dangerous toys from reaching the marketplace. It will be called the Congessional Research for Universal Nomenclature Correctness House (or CRUNCH for short), in honor of the brave children who overcame all odds and became productive members of society in spite of exposure to the hideously unnatural demon spawn that is Buttercruch.
July 22nd, 2006 at 6:09 am
Buttercrunch is my daughters favorite toy I am trying to find an identical one in case the worse should happen and she lost it. If anyone could help I would greatly appreciate am willing to buy new or second hand. erica@iinet.com.au
November 21st, 2007 at 5:31 am
My sister-in-law just emailed me this article about the Buttercrunch controversy because it too has been a dividing point among our extended family and friends. I can’t tell you how many impassioned debates have taken place over the species of the said Buttercrunch. As the aunt, who lives overseas, I have poured through the internet trying to find evidence to support my belief that Buttercrunch is indeed a giraffe. (I currently bask in that confirmation.) For a company that relies on creativity to keep its business alive - it’s a pity that they couldn’t respond with a more congenial response! I am quite sure that many a marriage lies in a state of division over the issue and many a child will suffer trauma when they fail their first zoology quiz. The choking hazard issue by the way is not choking by ingestion, but rather the wrapping of the “long” neck around a child’s neck. (I’m a children’s pastor - can’t give kids long pieces of string or yarn for crafts anymore either!) When all is said and done, I nonetheless salute the Buttercrunches of the world who have brought much comfort and joy to little ones and lively debate to the adults who love them. Long live Buttercrunch!
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:09 am
hello! we too are the proud owners of a Buttercrunch (giraffe or otherwise), and my son (now 5) is almost as attached as he was at 12 months old. As a matter of fact, has loves Buttercrunch so much that we bought a spare….and another, and another….and another….no longer the child’s obsession methinks! To cut a long story short, we have Buttercrunch family members 10 and 11 being posted to Australia as we speak….Giraffe or cow, we now have a herd….
Anyway, to date, even with 9 in his bed every night (unless some are being washed) we have not suffered any traumatic choking experiences, and hopefully that continues to be the case!
November 1st, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Hi! Our daughter was only six months old at the time this article was first posted. Buttercrunch has been a part of her life since she was only a few hours old. It was her very first toy and is still her favorite stuffed animal. She is now three and a half years old and will not go to bed without it. We have always assumed he was a giraffe but the short neck has raised a few questions. I am glad you have put that question to rest for us. I hope your son is not heartbroken when he finds out that there is no such thing as a yellow cow. By now Buttercrunch is a little bit run down and we have been looking for a replacement for a long time. We would appreciate any help locating a place where we could buy one. Nicole mentions that she had some shipped to Australia in July. Please let us know where we can get them. We would like to have our own herd…. Thanks to all.
November 20th, 2008 at 12:11 am
Hi Sylvain, I have found most on eBay. As a matter of fact there is one on there now (ending in 3 days) however the seller will not post of out the US, so I am unable to bid. I generally do a web search every 3-6 months, and have occasionally gotten lucky with small gift shops, florists or ebay listings….
good luck,
Nicole