Plushology: A Gentle Science

By Nathalie Blanc, University Professor of Psychology, and Thierry Brassac, Head of the Science & Society Department at the University of Montpellier.

Founded in Montpellier in 2010 (the International Year of Biodiversity), “plushology” examines the imaginary ecosystem of stuffed animals through the eyes of a naturalist; it is a science outreach project that has evolved into a participatory research project to answer the question, “What does the most comforting teddy bear in France look like?”

We’ll tell you the story behind the three scientific articles published by the team, as well as the new directions in research on these beloved stuffed animals.