Stuffed Animals as Material of Art: Carmen Messmer examines for the first time the materiality and complex semantics of plush toys. Since the mid-1980s, they have increasingly found their way into museums as components of sculptures and installations: they serve as containers for memories, material for (sex) monster bodies, or create a counterpoint to living or taxidermied animals. This overview reveals why fabric and plush animal figures—whether industrially produced or handmade, cut up or 'whole'—have developed into such an appealing artistic material for both artists and viewers alike.