Eric Carle dog toys
Eric Carle's illustrations, best known from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, have been licensed onto a small range of dog toys we stock — rope tugs and a plush caterpillar built for play rather than as a shelf ornament. It's a small range, so this page is really about the handful of toys in it rather than the brand behind the artwork.
What we stock
The range centres on the caterpillar itself in a few forms: the Eric Carle the Very Hungry Caterpillar Rope Toy, the Eric Carle the Very Hungry Caterpillar Tug, and the Eric Carle Hungry Caterpiller Rope Tug. They're built as rope and fabric tug toys — durable stitching and a segmented caterpillar body a dog can grip along its length rather than just at one end.
Because it's a licensed design rather than a full toy range, don't expect the variety you'd get from a dedicated toy brand — no balls, no puzzle feeders, just the caterpillar in a couple of formats. What you get is a toy that looks distinct in a toy basket rather than another plain rope tug.
Who it suits
These toys suit dogs that like to tug and carry rather than chew straight through a toy in one sitting — rope-based designs generally hold up to sustained tugging better than they do to a determined chewer left alone with one. A dog that shreds soft toys quickly will get through this one at a similar rate to any other rope-and-fabric tug of comparable size.
It's also a nice option if you're after something a bit different for a gift or a new puppy's first toy box, since the caterpillar design stands out visually from the plain rope toys most dogs already have. As with any tug toy, supervise play if your dog is a heavy chewer and retire it once the stitching starts to give.
Because the range is small, it's worth checking current sizes and stock before buying with a particular dog in mind, rather than assuming every format is always available. A puppy that outgrows a smaller size can usually move up to the larger rope toy in the same design once it's ready for something bigger.
The range
Everything below is in stock with us, priced with delivery worked out, and packed and posted by hand in the UK.
Eric Carle the Very Hungry Caterpillar Tug
Licensed The Very Hungry Caterpillar dog tugs, in a choice of vibrant fruit designs
From£10.99
Eric Carle Hungry Caterpiller Rope Tug
A 22cm Very Hungry Caterpillar plush toy with a rope tug end, for dogs
£5.99
Eric Carle the Very Hungry Caterpillar Rope Toy
A 40cm plush tug toy of the Very Hungry Caterpillar, with a rope end and a squeaker
£9.99
Coolpet Maverick Monkey Fleece Ring
A plaited fleece tug ring with a plush monkey head for tug and fetch games
£7.19
Kowloon All Senses Branch Bone Bacon
A 15cm bacon-scented rubber branch bone, for chewing, fetch and dental play
£4.19
Kingdom Fruit Rope Dog Toy
A plush fruit-shaped rope toy with a squeaker in both the head and the body
£6.99
Inflatable Herding Ball for Dogs with Pump
A large inflatable herding ball with pump that taps into your dog's chase instinct.
From£19.99
Durables Toy Crocodile
A crocodile dog toy from Red Dingo's Durables range: a 150g character toy for fetch, tug and carrying about, backed by Red Dingo's five-year guarantee.
£20.49
Tuffy Junior Zoo Hippo Dog Toy
A junior-sized Tuffy hippo built in bonded layers with webbed, multi-row stitched seams, light enough for smaller dogs and puppies, that floats and is machine washable.
£18.99
Guru Pet Company Guru Squeaking Rope
Guru squeaking rope dog toys in two distinct tug-and-sound designs
From£9.49
Sportspet High Bounce Glow in the Dark Balls
Sportspet High Bounce glow in the dark dog balls: charge them in daylight and keep playing after the sun goes down.
From£4.99
Common questions
- Is the Eric Carle dog toy the same as the book character?
- Yes, it's a licensed design based on Eric Carle's caterpillar from The Very Hungry Caterpillar, made up as a rope and fabric dog tug rather than a soft plush book character toy. The likeness is in the colours and segmented body shape rather than a printed illustration.
- Is this toy durable enough for a strong chewer?
- It's built as a rope and fabric tug, which holds up well to pulling and tugging but isn't marketed as an indestructible chew toy. For a dog that destroys soft toys quickly, supervise play and retire the toy once any stitching or fabric starts to come apart.
- What sizes does the Eric Carle range come in?
- The range is a small handful of rope and tug designs rather than a full sizing chart, so check the specific product listing for length and suitability for your dog's size. It generally suits small to medium dogs best given the toy's scale.
Related
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.