Giant ‘Bloody’ Teddy Bear to Shock FAO Schwarz Shoppers as PETA Pushes Brand to Ditch Mohair

For Immediate Release:
September 15, 2026

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

There’s nothing cuddly about the 10-foot-tall, “blood-stained” teddy bear—sporting an “FAO Hurtz” hat—that will greet FAO Schwarz shoppers on Thursday, when PETA supporters converge outside the Rockefeller Center store to urge the company to stop selling teddy bears made with mohair. To give passersby a glimpse of the suffering goats endure in the mohair industry, a PETA supporter wielding a giant “shearing comb” will violently tear tufts of “fur” from the bear while the sounds of screaming goats play over speakers.

“If kids knew about the suffering stitched into mohair teddy bears, they’d scream and cry just like the terrified goats who are beaten and left bleeding for their hair,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on FAO Schwarz to stop toying around at animals’ expense and join the hundreds of retailers and brands that have already banned cruel mohair.”

Where:           Outside FAO Schwarz (at the Rockefeller Plaza entrance), 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York

When:             Thursday, September 17, 12 noon

Why:               Mother goats form strong bonds with their babies, and mother and baby recognize each other’s distinct calls—or “bleats”—shortly after birth. Multiple PETA Asia investigations have exposed the rampant cruelty behind mohair production. A recent video exposé into mohair operations in Lesotho and South Africa documented workers violently hitting goats with brooms and poles, dragging struggling goats by their horns and legs, and pinning goats to the ground as the animals cry out in fear and pain. Workers sheared goats so carelessly that several were left with bloody wounds, and at one facility, the bodies of several dead goats—including a baby goat—were found discarded in a heap.

In light of this inherent cruelty, over 300 major brands—including Lands’ End, Ralph Lauren, and Williams-Sonoma—have already banned mohair. More than 40,000 PETA supporters have called on FAO Schwarz to follow suit.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and thirst, a goat is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.