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AssetID: 31373161

Headline: These Soft Toys Are Made To Teach Children About Ocean Pollution

Caption: Nonprofit conservation society Sea Shepherd is trying to school kids about ocean pollution in a sneaky, almost sad way. The organization has teamed with Fred & Farid Shanghai to create "Pollutoys," a line of plush animals that don't bear the typical smiles of a cuddly bunny or fluffy puppy. Rather, they look downright downcast - but there's an important reason. Unzip the tummies of Mark the Shark, Pelle the Pelican, Willy the Whale, Penny the Penguin and Martha the Manta Ray, and you'll find toy versions of the detritus that kills sea animals in the real world - straws, cups, plastic bags, soda cups and balloons. While quite depressing, the unique toys are meant to illustrate the real plight of the critters and pollution. "Nine million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year, killing one million seabirds, and 100,000 marine animals mostly through plastic intake. If we do nothing, by 2050 there will be more than plastic than fish in the oceans," explains the Pollutoys website. According to the agency release, learning through toys can help kids improve memory retention in kids between three-to-five-years-old by 77%. To create the toys, Sea Shepherd and Fred & Farid worked with Andrea Vida, a toy designer based in Budapest.

Keywords: feature,photo feature,photo story,pollution,teach,teaching,world,children,kids,soft toy,animal,learn

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