How to colour the fur of a stuffed toy?

January 9, 2020 7:06 PM

I have this stuffed white tiger toy. I would like to colour parts of its synthetic fur in brown, grey, tan, and black, so it resembles a specific cat. What should I use?

I'd like to make the toy look like this: Pic 1, Pic 2, Pic 3- basically creating a brown/grey mackerel tabby pattern over about half of the toy, with lots of white patches. Mackerel tabby fur is a beautiful mottled mixture of brown, grey, tan, and black, so I'd like to layer those colours to achieve this look.

I'm hoping for some kind of ink / dye that's fairly easy to apply, leaves the synthetic fur feeling silky rather than crusty, and won't come off on the furniture. If it could dry down to a waterproof, fixed finish so a toddler could play with the toy safely, that'd be great, but that's not imperative- it could just be used as a decorative toy.

What could I use? I'm almost imagining using a few wide-tip Sharpie Markers in the right colour palette, does that sound feasible?

posted by nouvelle-personne to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

Rit makes dyes specifically for synthetics that should fit the bill.
posted by Miko at 7:10 PM on January 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

You can use alcohol-based markers (like Sharpies) to color synthetic wigs and they remain siilky. I'd go to an art supply store and get a recommendation and then test it out on a spare toy.
posted by crush at 7:44 PM on January 9, 2020 [2 favorites]

Unfortunately the Rit dyes require boiling the item in a pot on the stove for 10+ minutes, so they won't work for coloring small areas of an item.

The Sharpie plan sounds feasible to me. Test on a small area, let dry, and then see whether it rubs off.
posted by mekily at 7:55 PM on January 9, 2020 [3 favorites]

Don’t the Rit dyes also come in pen-style so you can apply it directly? Those are the ones I meant, not the old fashioned tie-dye version.
posted by Miko at 8:00 PM on January 9, 2020

Sharpies would be a perfect tool for this project. You will have tight control over pattern, a range of color choice, the toy can be rendered dry, and the color will be permanent. Try an inconspicuous area to practice. I hope it turns out great.
posted by effluvia at 8:43 PM on January 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

Whatever you try, I'd suggest getting a second toy to run tests on. You may have to do some experiments before you get it right.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 11:27 PM on January 10, 2020