Soaring demand for viral toys drives Jellycat to £240m profit

Soft toy firm Jellycat has revealed that a continued surge in demand from fans and collectors helped profits almost double for the past year.

Sales demand continued to rocket in 2025 as the brand opened up in more destinations, with sites including a Jellycat Fish & Chips shop in Selfridges, London, and a Jellycat ski club in LA selling themed toys.

The cuddly toys, which range from bunny rabbits to eggs with faces, benefited from growing popularity on social media and increasing demand from adult customers.

The London-based company, which was founded in 1999 by Thomas Gatacre, revealed sales jumped by 43% to £450 million for the year, compared with a year earlier.

The year saw significant growth driven by its expansion across retail, with 22 new retail spaces and experiences in the year, compared with only three in 2024.

Jellycat sells in UK retailers including Jarrolds in Norwich (Jellycat/PA)

These also included Jellycat Airlines in Harrods Knightsbridge and the Jellycat Space Experience in Seoul, South Korea

New toys released in the year included a smiling tea bag, an exclusive toy for independent retailers, and a pistachio nut called Horatio.

The brand’s popularity also continued to grow across social media, with Instagram followers jumping by 1.3 million to 2.8 million and TikTok followers increasing by more than double to 2.3 million.

Soaring sales helped to drive a 98% uptick in pre-tax profits to £240 million for the year.

In the accounts, the company said it will pay its parent company, Jelly Holdings, around £179 million in dividends for the 2025 financial year, but it is understood this will stay in the group for reinvestment.

Mandy Pugh, Jellycat chief executive, said: “Everything we do begins with our fans and the joy they find in Jellycat.

“Their enthusiasm has inspired us to invest with even greater energy in bringing our world to new people and places – through magical spaces in stores, more engaging experiences online, and new characters bursting with personality.

“Seeing fans of all ages embrace these worlds has encouraged us to dream up even more playful and unexpected ways to share Jellycat joy in 2026 and beyond.”