”You’re in the jungle baby!”

I have probably spent too much time on the road and in airports lately, but I've been thinking; Why is it that a lot of stuff for newborn babies has a jungle motif, or some kind of reference to the animal kingdom? Don’t get me wrong, it is nice and cute and all, but is there a reason behind this?

For example: We have a baby jungle gym for Ethan, he has a clothes storage thingy on the wall in the shape of a frog, a laundry basked shaped like a fish, his new swing is called 'Kangaroo', Kaloo is some kind of brown possum and has an elephant on his/her shirt, most of his books are about animals, and a lot of Ethan’s clothes have monkeys and lions and owls and dinosaurs on them.

Also, as Ethan’s clothes and toys come from many different sources around the globe, due to the generosity of all of our guests this summer, so this cannot be a coincidence.

Is it because animals are cute?
Is it because they are colorful?
Is it because there are so many different kinds of animals?
Is it because we are all mammals after all?

I have also done extensive research by browsing the shelves at Toys 'R’ Us, and it seems like there are a few reoccurring themes: Blue, Pink, Animals, and Winnie The Pooh.

According to http://www.babiesandshowers.com/:

Here are just some of the most popular ideas for baby shower themes
based on our research:

1) Winnie the Pooh theme - This is one of the most popular themes for a baby shower. Everyone loves Winnie the Pooh and friends and it is not surprising to see this as the top theme in our research study.

2) Jungle baby theme - A lot of people may not expect it, but a jungle theme is very popular for baby showers. This theme is great for decorating as there are many possibilities. Asides from jungle trees and vines, a wide variety of animals are often used, like giraffes, pandas, and other baby animals.

3) Baby duck theme - Baby and rubber ducks are the third most popular theme. There are many items that suit this theme including baby shower decorations, plates, cups, favors, and games. This theme is probably the easiest for baby showers since almost every baby shower supplier carries some duck themed items.

Tomorrow afternoon, we are going for a walk with Piers and Lesley and their giant dog, which will also be Ethan's first encounter with a real life animal. Hopefully he'll like dogs and hopefully he won't be frightened, as it's of course very important that he and Tank can play well together.