Constructing Brand Identity for Comfort Toys: Social Currency and Communication Pathways in the Case of Jellycat

Abstract

Against the rise of the emotional economy and the healing economy, the consumption logic of plush toys is shifting from functional
comfort toward emotional projection and social expression. Taking the British brand Jellycat as a single case, this paper examines how comfort-toy brands overcome the industry-wide dilemma of "product category without brand, " build brand identity, and further become a form of
social currency among young consumers. A qualitative single-case design is adopted, combining textual analysis and netnography to examine
the brand's official texts, visual symbols, product narratives, and user-generated content on social media. Three findings emerge. First, through
an "ugly-cute" visual style and anthropomorphic storytelling, Jellycat reconstructs toys from physical comfort objects into psychological companions with distinct personalities, thereby establishing a highly recognizable brand identity. Second, by leveraging emotional resonance on
social media, meme production, and ritualized offline experiences, the brand forms a communication pathway in which online fermentation
and offline diffusion mutually reinforce each other. Third, through mechanisms of limited availability, retirement, and emotional projection,
Jellycat acquires display value, expressive value, and group-identifying value, thus becoming a circulating form of social currency. This paper
argues that Jellycat's popularity indicates a shift in toy consumption from a functional logic to an emotional and symbolic logic, offering implications for identity construction and communication strategy among comfort-toy and cultural-creative brands.