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Most animal-shaped bags are modelled sitting up, which means the head and limbs stand proud and push the whole thing away from your back. This one is modelled lying flat, so the body presses against you and the bag rides where a rucksack is meant to ride.

That is the practical difference and it is worth more than it sounds. A figure-shaped bag that stands off the back swings when you walk and catches on chair backs; a flat one behaves like an ordinary small rucksack that happens to look like a red panda.

What you get

One backpack in brown. This is a single-piece item and not part of a set.

Product details

• Format: plush backpack in a lying-flat animal shape
• Profile: flat-backed rather than a seated figure
• Structure: unstructured — it takes its shape from the contents
• Not in the design: no laptop sleeve, no side pockets, no chest strap, no rain cover
• Weight: approximately 250g empty
• Colour: Brown

Materials and construction

• Body: polyester plush
• Lining: woven fabric
• Straps: shoulder straps at the back

The flat profile is what makes this the more usable of the animal-shaped bags. On a seated figure the head, arms and legs are stuffed and hold nothing, so a large share of what you are looking at is filling. A prone shape puts more of its area into a single flat compartment, which means the space is closer to what the outside suggests.

It is still a plush bag, and plush behaves the same way whatever the shape. Dust settles into the nap rather than sitting on the surface, and a mark rubbed hard enough to lift will mat the fibres around it. Brown is a forgiving colour for this, which is the one advantage of it being the only one offered.

Size guide

Fit notes

Check the strap arrangement in the gallery images before ordering. This style is made both as a two-strap backpack and as a single-strap shoulder bag, and the two wear very differently — a single strap puts all the load on one side and lets the bag swing.

Being unstructured, it slumps when empty and hangs longer when loaded rather than holding an open shape. A phone, a purse and keys are the realistic load; judge it on the compartment measurement rather than the overall size.

Styling

Brown is the only colour and happens to be the sensible one — it is the shade that will still look reasonable after months of being put down on things. The flat shape makes this the least conspicuous of the animal bags, so it works with an everyday outfit in a way an upright teddy does not, while still being obviously a novelty piece.

Care

Surface clean with a damp cloth and mild detergent, working with the pile rather than against it, and air dry away from radiators. Do not machine wash. An unstructured plush bag stretches under its own water weight, and the strap joins are what take the strain when it does.

What is not included

The bag is supplied empty. Clothing, accessories, charms and anything else shown in the photographs are styling only.