Did the ISU make an anti stuffie rule?

[4everchan]

I was going to give this a bye but from genuine bafflement, can someone tell me how anyone in venue management would get the idea that the cost of organising volunteer sweepers for a now fairly small number of plushies somehow is a threat to paying for streams? Or what the two enormously disparate costs even have to do with each other???? As for stuffies being wasteful and dangerous, well so is figure skating by definition when you think about it. I'm a fan so I accept this, but the irony is pretty blatant.

(Please note, I have no intention, even if I ever get to a competition or show, of throwing the small number of precious skater souvenirs I have anywhere. at. all.)

I took the time to clarify that these are not inter-related.

Some of you are looking at it from the "it shouldn't be a big deal, it's not a top problem in figure skating (plushies).

I am looking at it the other way, it's not a top priority. That's all. And yes, the sport is already dangerous, how would you feel if you threw anything on the ice that got caught under someone blades while doing a big lift? No need to answer. It's a rhetorical question. And yes, it has happened before.

 

[Diana Delafield]

I took the time to clarify that these are not inter-related.

Some of you are looking at it from the "it shouldn't be a big deal, it's not a top problem in figure skating (plushies).

I am looking at it the other way, it's not a top priority. That's all. And yes, the sport is already dangerous, how would you feel if you threw anything on the ice that got caught under someone blades while doing a big lift? No need to answer. It's a rhetorical question. And yes, it has happened before.

I know that was rhetorical, but I had the rhetorical bruises for quite a few weeks when that happened to my partner and me. I landed on him, not the ice, but his muscles were hard as he braced to catch me, and I sliced his pant leg, and gave him a shallow cut. A leaf from a flower, that was all it took.

 

[noskates]

I don't care what y'all say - I still loathe those strawberries and I think there are better ways to show appreciation to a skater.

 

[TallyT]

I don't care what y'all say - I still loathe those strawberries and I think there are better ways to show appreciation to a skater.

The strawberries were ugly. Corporate ideas are never as good.

Does anyone know when the actual throwing of toys started? I hate to think that a certain tissue box cover should get the blame for it all...

 

[el henry]

This version has been repeated in a few stories I read, at least in the US, stuffed animals were encouraged and even sold in the arena, to prevent the throwing of flowers. In the 1990s.

Why Do People Throw Stuffed Animals at Figure Skaters?

Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu probably has enough plush Winnie the Poohs to open a store. But he’s not the only skater who gets stuffed animals—here’s why.

www.mentalfloss.com

I'm going to call out the elephant in the room, which I feel I can do as a Jason fan, and thus with no real agenda one way or the other. I loved seeing the rain of Poohs. I thought they were a great tradition and they made me smile to see fans so in love with their skater. If Jason had to skate after Yuzuru. (and I don't remember if he did) well, them's the breaks.

Of all the things to get bent out of shape about....

 

[Magill]

The strawberries were ugly. Corporate ideas are never as good.

Does anyone know when the actual throwing of toys started? I hate to think that a certain tissue box cover should get the blame for it all...

This certain tissue holder was itself thrown on the ice for this certain junior skater, so, no, it cannot be blamed for starting the throwing
But I checked, inspired by this thread, and it seems although plushies would always be thrown from time to time, they became number one ritual when throwing flowers got banned for safety reasons. They even started selling pre-approved plushies right at venues before competitions so it seems the venues have only themselves to take the blame (or the praise, depending on which side you are on) .
More here (many similar articles say basically the same thing):

Why Do People Throw Stuffed Animals at Figure Skaters?

Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu probably has enough plush Winnie the Poohs to open a store. But he’s not the only skater who gets stuffed animals—here’s why.

www.mentalfloss.com

 

[TontoK]

I know that was rhetorical, but I had the rhetorical bruises for quite a few weeks when that happened to my partner and me. I landed on him, not the ice, but his muscles were hard as he braced to catch me, and I sliced his pant leg, and gave him a shallow cut. A leaf from a flower, that was all it took.

I stand firmly and unapologetically on the pro-stuffie side of the debate. And I confess I nostalgically look back on my memories of skaters standing at the boards with armfuls of bouquets.

But even I recognize that the prohibition on throwing flowers on the ice was a good thing.

 

[moonvine]

I don't care what y'all say - I still loathe those strawberries and I think there are better ways to show appreciation to a skater.

They haven't had those since Smuckers was a sponsor. SA has Humana as a sponsor.

 

[moonvine]

This version has been repeated in a few stories I read, at least in the US, stuffed animals were encouraged and even sold in the arena, to prevent the throwing of flowers. In the 1990s.

Why Do People Throw Stuffed Animals at Figure Skaters?

Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu probably has enough plush Winnie the Poohs to open a store. But he’s not the only skater who gets stuffed animals—here’s why.

www.mentalfloss.com

I'm going to call out the elephant in the room, which I feel I can do as a Jason fan, and thus with no real agenda one way or the other. I loved seeing the rain of Poohs. I thought they were a great tradition and they made me smile to see fans so in love with their skater. If Jason had to skate after Yuzuru. (and I don't remember if he did) well, them's the breaks.

Of all the things to get bent out of shape about....

I am pro Pooh Rain myself.

 

[TT_Fin]

I already wrote before in Finland there are flowers on sale at the lobby of the arena. Those ones are fully packed. I am not sure if I have senn plushies fir sale. The lobby is udually full of somebody selling something. I think maybe local Fed or ISU gets some money also from those sold or rent, othervise there would be no sense to allow it. There are plus and minus aspects on the thing.

 

[gkelly]

I already wrote before in Finland there are flowers on sale at the lobby of the arena. Those ones are fully packed. I am not sure if I have senn plushies fir sale. The lobby is udually full of somebody selling something. I think maybe local Fed or ISU gets some money also from those sold or rent, othervise there would be no sense to allow it. There are plus and minus aspects on the thing.

If there are people selling things in the lobby, the vendor will have paid a fee to the organizers for the privilege to do so. More likely a one-time fee for the space, possibly a percentage of sales. That would go for anything being sold, not just things that might be thrown on the ice.

 

[noskates]

Again, I KNOW Smuckers has not sponsored skating for years. That was not my point.

 

[moonvine]

If there are people selling things in the lobby, the vendor will have paid a fee to the organizers for the privilege to do so. More likely a one-time fee for the space, possibly a percentage of sales. That would go for anything being sold, no just things that might be thrown on the ice.

Right, at big comps they have stuff like scarves, hats, pictures, I can't remember everything I saw at 2016 worlds, maybe they had stuffies. I bought a scarf and hat. It was my first comp.

 

[moonvine]

Again, I KNOW Smuckers has not sponsored skating for years. That was not my point.

Well I think strawberries were hard to clean up, a bad idea and most likely unwanted by the skaters.

 

[TallyT]

Well I think strawberries were hard to clean up, a bad idea and most likely unwanted by the skaters.

I think the real appeal of the stuffies/plushies/even the flowers is the genuine affection/love and emotion behind them, from the junior who gets to see one or two thrown just for them at their early competitions, to yes, the massive but still very personal rain of Pooh bears at Pyeongchang for Yuzuru (and those mass showers for others, I remember reading twitter threads where fans would try to work them around what the skater was known to like). This is why, although I laughed at the jokes that Disney should sponsor because of the number of bears that were sold, I was rather glad they didn't at the time (and what goes around...)

Whether you like or dislike the stuffies being thrown, you can't deny that it did and does come from that genuine emotional place. A corporate sponsor trying to make such a genuine fan thing into an advertisement for them spoiled what it was all about.

 

[TallyT]

Right, at big comps they have stuff like scarves, hats, pictures, I can't remember everything I saw at 2016 worlds, maybe they had stuffies. I bought a scarf and hat. It was my first comp.

Merchandise stalls are a big thing and can make quite a bit of money.... at the Japanese shows they also have food stalls (local cuisine! the videos uploaded were mouthwatering) and such, I'm not sure about the current international competitions?

 

[moonvine]

Merchandise stalls are a big thing and can make quite a bit of money.... at the Japanese shows they also have food stalls (local cuisine! the videos uploaded were mouthwatering) and such, I'm not sure about the current international competitions?

Me either. SA will be my first since 2016

 

[NanaPat]

I think one of the nice things about the stuffies is that they are varied (so more interesting) and that they are NOT available for sale at the venue, so require at least a little bit of planning and thought. We had someone come up to us at 4CCs and ask where we got the stuffies; I gave a longish answer involving Walmart and my daughter gave them the short answer they really needed "we brought them with us".

Having to bring them with you, and having variety (fortunately not everyone buys them at WalMart) makes them interesting. That's why the strawberries didn't cut it (besides their small size making clean-up difficult).

 

[moonvine]

I think one of the nice things about the stuffies is that they are varied (so more interesting) and that they are NOT available for sale at the venue, so require at least a little bit of planning and thought. We had someone come up to us at 4CCs and ask where we got the stuffies; I gave a longish answer involving Walmart and my daughter gave them the short answer they really needed "we brought them with us".

Having to bring them with you, and having variety (fortunately not everyone buys them at WalMart) makes them interesting. That's why the strawberries didn't cut it (besides their small size making clean-up difficult).

I used to get them at Walmart, then I decided I didn't like those and started getting them at Walgreens. I live in a rural area and it's not unusual for them to go down to 90% off. I got a bunch of Disney Pride ones for 90% off. Some I get at Petsmart for $5. Just make sure they don't have squeakers.