Sophie the Giraffe was conceived by Monsieur Rampeau, who was an expert in transforming sap from the Hevea tree using the rotational moulding of rubber as a toy-making concept. He came up with the idea of designing a toy giraffe, sensing that such an exotic wildlife figure would be the first in the market, and its size and shape would be ideal for the baby's hands to grasp and fit the baby's small mouth. Sophie the Giraffe, who looks exactly the same as the day she was 'born', went into production on May 25th, Saint Sophie's day, hence her name. Sophie was an immediate success in France. Young mothers saw straightaway that Sophie was a must-have for their babies when the first signs of teething appeared. By simple word of mouth, the little Giraffe's fame spread. From then on, generation upon generation of children in Europe, have come to love Sophie & her happy sound. Sophie is still traditionally produced today, by Vulli, which is based in Rumilly in the Haute-Savoie Region of France. She is made from 100% natural rubber derived from the sap of the Hevea Tree. The process of creating her involves more than 14 manual operations and is still a secret, jealously guarded by the company.