The Dream Pet phenomenon began in 1957 when R. Dakin and Co. imported some electric trains from Japan and found them packed with six small, velveteen animal toys. The Japanese company representatives said the toys were called Dream Pets because the people who made them could imagine them to be whatever they wished. Dakin manufactured them, keeping the names of the animals given to them by their Japanese creators. By the late 1970s, more than 2,000 different Dream Pet characters existed. The phenomenon died out but was briefly brought back in 2004.
Dream Pets can be divided into two categories of interest to collectors: the original characters manufactured until the late 1970s and the additional characters made in 2004.
Instructions
1. Look for the manufacturer's label. The easiest way to identify a genuine Dream Pet is to check the manufacturer label on the toy, which will display "R. Dakin & Company." Because the company was sold to Applause in 1995, some labels may display "Dakin/Applause."
2. Look for the sales tag. Dream Pets were originally sold with two sales tags, the largest of which is a square, book-style folded tag with the phrase "What Is Your Dream Pet?" on its front. The back of this tag is green and includes a brief history of the R. Dakin company. Inside the tag is specific information about the individual character, including its birthplace, birth year, favorite colors, foods, pastimes, songs and Dream Quotes.
A smaller, oval tag also should also attached. Its left side is dark blue with stars, and it includes the word "dream." Its right half is yellow with a bright sun and displays "Pets."
3. Dream Pets stuffed with sawdust are the most valuable, being the oldest.
Determine what the toy is stuffed with if it has no tag or label. The original Dream Pets were stuffed with sawdust and are of the most value to collectors. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pellets were used in the characters produced in 2004 . If you are able to pick up the toy, you may be able to determine what it is stuffed with by touch. Online descriptions sometimes specify a toy's stuffing material.
4. Check online collector websites for Dream Pet authenticity
Compare a possible Dream Pet to Dream Pet images and names. Because they are no longer manufactured, Dream Pets usually are sold used, and many are sold without labels. The only list readily available that confirms the identity of a genuine Dream Pet is the list of the 24 original Dream Pets that can be seen as an image on the Toys n' Joys website, which is linked in the Resources section. Additional characters are listed on several collector, sales and auction websites. Check them to confirm Dream Pet authenticity.
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