Grem, a smiling plushie with a WiFi-enabled voice box, is displayed for a photo in an incongruous setting in New York on July 26, 2025. New types of cuddly toys, some for children as young as 3, are being sold as an alternative to screen time – and to parental attention. — Sara Messinger/The New York Times
Curio is a company that describes itself as “a magical workshop where toys come to life”. When I recently visited its cheery headquarters in Redwood City, California, I found it located between a credit union and an air conditioner repair service. I stepped inside to meet the company’s founders, Misha Sallee and Sam Eaton. And also Grem, a fuzzy cube styled like an anime alien.
Curio makes chatbots wrapped in stuffed animals. Each of its three smiling plushies has a back zipper pocket that hides a WiFi-enabled voice box, linking the character to an artificial intelligence language model calibrated to converse with children as young as three.
