THE idea for Pillow Pets dawned on Jennifer Telfer after watching her young sons smash down their stuffed animals in order to sleep on them like a pillow. She set about creating stuffed animals that unfolded into plush pillows.
She and her husband decided to wholesale the products themselves in 2003 through their company, CJ Products, and began by hawking them at a mall kiosk during the holiday season. By the end of the year, after Jennifer introduced Pillow Pets at a home show, they were nearly sold out.
The cuddly toy has since exploded, with $US300million ($F606m) in sales in 2010.
