Stuffed children's toy with therapeutic feature

Abstract

Stuffed toys, therapeutic stuffed animals, and therapeutic stuffed teddy bears for children are presented herein. A stuffed child's toy is disclosed, which includes a body having a torso, a head, and one or more appendages projecting from the torso. The torso defines a cavity within which is disposed a container that is attached to the torso. A fluid medium is disposed within the container. The fluid medium includes a plurality of particles movably disposed within the fluid medium. The container may be a fluidly sealed, translucent polymeric orb. The body may include a flexible outer shell filled with a pliable material. The particles may include light-reflective glitter entrained within the fluid medium.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A stuffed toy for children, the stuffed toy comprising:
 a body having a torso, a head, and one or more appendages projecting from the torso, the torso defining a cavity;   a container disposed within the cavity and attached to the torso; and   a fluid medium disposed within the container, the fluid medium including a plurality of particles movably disposed within the fluid medium.   
     
     
         2 . The stuffed toy of  claim 1 , wherein a viscosity of the fluid medium is configured to prevent the plurality of particles, after being stirred within the fluid medium, from settling to the bottom of the container for a predetermined minimum amount of time. 
     
     
         3 . The stuffed toy of  claim 1 , wherein the container is rigidly attached to the torso and substantially fills the cavity. 
     
     
         4 . The stuffed toy of  claim 1 , wherein the container protrudes at least partially out of the cavity. 
     
     
         5 . The stuffed toy of  claim 1 , wherein the container is fluidly sealed. 
     
     
         6 . The stuffed toy of  claim 1 , wherein the container is translucent. 
     
     
         7 . The stuffed toy of  claim 1 , wherein the container is a hollow orb. 
     
     
         8 . The stuffed toy of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of particles includes light-reflective glitter. 
     
     
         9 . The stuffed toy of  claim 1 , wherein the body is configured to stay seated or standing in an upright position without external assistance. 
     
     
         10 . The stuffed toy of  claim 1 , further comprising an illumination device configured to selectively illuminate the fluid medium disposed within the container. 
     
     
         11 . The stuffed toy of  claim 1 , further comprising a sound-generating device disposed within the body and connected to an activation mechanism, wherein the activation mechanism is configured to cause the sound-generating device to output an audible sound. 
     
     
         12 . The stuffed toy of  claim 1 , wherein the body includes a flexible outer shell filled with a pliable material. 
     
     
         13 . The stuffed toy of  claim 1 , wherein the cavity is defined in a front central portion of the torso. 
     
     
         14 . The stuffed toy of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more appendages includes two arms and two legs projecting outwardly from respective portions of the torso. 
     
     
         15 . A therapeutic stuffed animal comprising:
 a torso with a flexible outer shell filled with a pliable material, a front portion of the torso defining a cavity;   a head projecting outwardly from the torso;   multiple appendages projecting outwardly from the torso;   a translucent or transparent container attached to the torso, the container being seated within and substantially filling the cavity; and   a fluid medium sealed within the container, the fluid medium including a plurality of light-reflective particles movably disposed within the fluid medium.   
     
     
         16 . The stuffed animal of  claim 15 , wherein a viscosity of the fluid medium is configured to prevent the plurality of light-reflective particles, after being stirred within the fluid, from settling to the bottom of the container for a predetermined minimum amount of time. 
     
     
         17 . The stuffed animal of  claim 15 , wherein the container is rigidly attached to the torso and protruding at least partially out of the cavity. 
     
     
         18 . The stuffed animal of  claim 15 , wherein the container is a hollow polymeric orb. 
     
     
         19 . The stuffed animal of  claim 15 , wherein the body is configured to remain seated in an upright position without external assistance. 
     
     
         20 . A therapeutic stuffed teddy bear for children, the teddy bear comprising:
 a bear-shaped body with a flexible textile outer shell filled with a pliable material, the body having a torso, a head projecting outwardly from the torso, and two arms and two legs projecting outwardly from the torso, a front central portion of the torso defining a cavity;   a translucent elastic orb rigidly attached to the torso, the orb being seated within, substantially filling and protruding at least partially out of the cavity; and   a liquid medium fluidly sealed within the container and entrained with light-reflective glitter particles movably disposed within the liquid medium.