Janimals are "wearable stuffed animals" which have been advertised on television since mid-2014. Today I offer my observations of this somewhat bizarre product.

About Janimals

Janimals – sometimes written as J.Aniamls or J-Animals – are marketed as wearable stuffed animals. The product appears to be relatively new, as the domain buyjanimals.com was only registered in January 2014.

There are five different styles of Janimals offered: cat, dog, zebra, giraffe, or unicorn. It comes in 3 sizes: Small, medium, and large, which is measured by the wearer’s height. The smallest size fits children as small as 36 inches, while the largest will accommodate adults up to 66 inches.

Here is a screen shot of the website, taken in June 2014. As of December 2014, the website remains unchanged.

Janimals cost $29.99 plus shipping. A Facebook page for Janimals noted in June 2014 that “J-Animals are starting to hit shelves at Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart and K-Mart!” Indeed, the product can now be found at such retailers for about $30.

Below is a television commercial for Janimals which has been running since early 2014.

My Janimals Review and Observations

My first thought upon seeing this commercial was that of Ralphie wearing the iconic pink bunny costume in the film A Christmas Story. Then I realized that this bizarre product was being marketed as something to be worn by older kids and even adults.

While the television commercial depicts older kids and adults, the jingle and annoying announcer’s voice are clearly aimed at children.

While I understand the rise in popularity of cosplay, I’m not sure that a product advertised on national television will find many cosplay converts via this product. As a parent myself, I understand that younger kids like “weird” products (think Stretchkins), and this will likely appeal to that demographic. And of course you may get older kids brave enough to don one of these for the humor and shock value. For adults, however, I don’t see many adding Janimals to their wardrobe, with the exception of their Halloween costume collections.

When I first posted this review, Janimals reviews were scant, presumably since it was such a new product. In the ensuing months, reviews have trickled in from a variety of sources, and – perhaps surprisingly – are relatively positive. Most of the Janimals products on Amazon are rated about 4 stars.

Perhaps the area of greatest concern for those considering purchasing the product is in the construction. The primary complaint about the product that I’ve seen is that it tends to run big, so you should be careful in selecting your size.