Riff Raff toys are selling for hundreds more than they cost

An Aussie toy that is meant to help babies sleep soundly is causing parents to make stressful cash grabs for the latest versions. Has the craze gone too far?

When it comes to a baby’s sleep, parents will try just about anything to make naps and overnights just a little bit easier.

For many, it involves buying a snuggly comforter (which should be used according to Safe Sleep rules) that range from simple pieces of cotton fleece to soft toys that double as soothers with built-in sounds that are said to help a baby fall asleep independently.

The debate among parents about which type of product works the best is still undecided, but it’s fair to say that an Aussie invention - the Riff Raff - has become one of the most widely used in recent years.   

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Riff Raffs are a popular toy said to help settle babies. Image: eBay

An obsession gone too far? 

In fact, parents’ obsession with the Riff Raff has become so intense that some sold out or limited edition versions of the comforter and associated plush toys are selling online for hundreds more than their retail price.

On eBay, one listing is selling the Sunny Bunny and Reindeer for an eye-watering $450. While general comforters retail on the official website for $74.95 and Big Bestie plush toys for $69.95, the Sunny Bunny and Reindeer aren’t available to purchase, and are either sold out, or available through the website’s referral program, where a customer needs to purchase a certain number of Riff Raffs in order to be ‘rewarded’ with one that isn’t available for general sale.

Another listing is also taking advantage of Riff Raff’s ‘limited edition’ collections, with matching Petal comforter and Big Bestie priced at $350.

Buying a standalone toy isn’t much cheaper, either. An eBay seller is offering a Shimmer The Unicorn for a whopping $250. That’s right, for just one toy. 

They’re far from the exception, too. The online auction site is flooded with listings selling all types of Riff Raff products for more than $150, which is more than double their original value.

If you thought you might get a bargain on Facebook Marketplace, think again. Sellers are making big bucks on there, too.

One Brisbane ad wants buyers to cough up $350 for a Sunny Bunny. The seller says they purchased it for $420 and are “too nervous to take it out of the house in case it gets lost or stolen”. Er, then why buy a toy that is designed to be thrown around and drooled on by a baby?!

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Sorry HOW much? 

A Melbourne Facebook seller is also selling the Sunny Bunny, for a decidedly ‘cheaper’ $250, while many other characters are being offered up between $100 and $200 - many of which are in used condition.

For those who don’t have a child under five and not familiar with the whole Riff Raff craze, it’s a self-soothing toy that launched back in 2016 by Melbourne mum, Emma Kruger, who came up with the idea on maternity leave. Needless to say, she didn’t need to go back to her old HR job because her sleep aids, which use a module inside the toy for sounds such as white noise, heartbeats, lullabies or a parent’s recordable voice, became insanely popular.

It hasn’t all been smooth-sleeping for the successful business, however. In 2023, The ACCC warned anybody who has bought one not to use it for an unsupervised sleeping baby under seven months old, due to the suffocation risk, which led the website to update its usage instructions.

Kidspot has contacted Riff Raff in response to its products being resold and it has not responded at the time of publication.

Originally published as Riff Raff toys are selling for hundreds more than they cost