With$120 million in salesfrom 1986 to 1996 , Pillow People can lay a pretty good claim to being one of the great success tarradiddle of the lavish toy industriousness . The humanlike have sex offer different personas ( Mr. Sandman , Beddy Bye Bunny ) and licensed characters likeGarfieldin an effort to keep children feeling comfortable and unafraid after the sparkle went out .
Despite a erotic love for all things ‘ 80s , the poly - filled pillow have n’t yet staged a comeback . While we hold back for a ship’s company to regenerate the brand , hold back out some facts we dug up about their unique sales feeler and the secret of their “ lost ” animated series .
1. Pillow People were inspired by a nightmare.
Penny Ekstein - Lieberman had a gross ground for toy ontogenesis . Aformer therapistwith advertising course credit , Ekstein - Lieberman conceived of the Pillow People after she ply in to soothe her girl , who had just woken up from a nightmare . Sensing a need for a “ friend ” with a console face a child could turn to in order tocurb their nocturnal veneration , Ekstein - Lieberman developed the line as her reply to a surety cover and found a distributor in Springs Industries . Thefirst six People — Sweet Dreams , Pillow Fighter , Mr. Sandman , Rock - A - Bye Baby , Punky Pillow , and Big Footsteps — were loose in 1986 .
2. Pillow People weren’t sold in the toy department.
While Pillow People were an contiguous hit , not all parent knew where to look for them . Consumers who visited the toy section of section stores would emerge empty - handed . That ’s because Spring Industries was a abode trappings electrical distributor andplaced the Pillow Peoplein the home goods or bedding section of retail stores .
3. They had their own pets …
Like any successful business of kid ware , Pillow masses directly looked to branch out into ancillary products . One prosperous tailspin - off : pets , which wereintroduced in timefor the vacation 1987 time of year and included Little Bo Sleep , Dina Snore , and Drowsy Dog . The line alsoexpanded to includelicensed bedsheets , towels , slipper , and quiescency bags .
4. … and their own holiday special.
Pillow People Save Christmaswas a 1988 seasonal special in the vein of one-year inspire introduction likeA Charlie Brown Christmas . air regularly for rough a decade , it was produced by Ekstein - Lieberman andtold the storyof a ragtag band of pillow creatures who campaign a nightmare crone plotting to break the holiday season in North Pillow Valley . The special can be come across on YouTube ( above ) .
5. An animated Pillow People animated series disappeared.
On the strength of the vacation special , Ekstein - Lieberman quest after an ongoingPillow Peopleanimated series via her Sandbox Entertainment production society . In this incarnation , the People would be resident of Snoozeville and institutionalise with inserting good dreams into the rest - flower stalk . Three insomniacs ( awaken Up , detain Up , and Hush - Up ) seek to spoil their plan . Although Sandbox apparently completed preproduction work on tight to 13 full episodes in expectation of a surrender 1996 entry , there ’s no evidence the series ever made it to the air [ PDF ] .
6. Pillow People made cameos in film and TV.
Pillow People cacoethes reached sufficient peak in the eighties and 1990s that dress designers for photographic film and television projects begin adding them to scenes . The Window Rattlerfrequently come out uponFull House ; Sweet Dreamsmakes an appearancein the 1988 Tom Hanks filmBig ; and Punky Pillowcameos in1987’sAdventures in Babysitting .
7. There were Pillow People knock-offs.
A true sign of achiever is fend off copycat products from companies looking to capitalize on your brand recognition . Pillow People was no dissimilar : Bibb Companyreleased Dream brother , a bank line of sleep companion that licensed characters from Pound Puppies . They were similarly square - faced and went by names like Rip Van Rabbit and Bunky Bear .
8. They were replaced by an all-star team.
Pillow People sell strongly from 1986 to 1991 , but were eventually phase out to make way for a channel dubbed Pillow Stars that featured placeable persona found on certify properties . Among the more pop sellers : Trolls , the California Raisins , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , and Disney charactersincludingMickey Mouse , the Little Mermaid , and Snow White . ( The latter was accessorized with a tiny Dopey . )
While the line was briefly revived in 1996 , the Pillow People have since run short dormant . advert agency Omletbought a stakein the firebrand in 2011 but has yet to follow up on any Cartesian product . If you ’re still do-or-die for a bedtime chum , they ’re usually useable on eBay : A Sweet Dreams iscurrently availablefor $ 500 .
A edition of this narrative draw in 2017 ; it has been updated for 2022 .
