Three cases exist, and you meet all three. Some boxes have you embroider the eyes in thread. Others supply plastic safety eyes. A few don't mention them at all.
It isn't a manufacturer's whim: the choice follows the intended use. We say which, kit by kit, because it's the sort of detail that decides a gift.
Embroidered eyes
Two stitches of black thread, sewn into the fabric. Nothing sticks out, nothing comes loose, nothing can be swallowed.
It's DMC's choice across its seventeen kits, and their listing says so explicitly: “thread to embroider the eyes and the muzzle — no plastic eyes”. A maker who bothers to write down what is not in the box deserves to be noticed.
The downside: it takes longer, and the first attempt is rarely symmetrical. You undo it and start again. It's thread, it costs nothing.
Safety eyes
A plastic half-sphere on a shank, pushed through the fabric before stuffing, locked from the inside by a washer. The word “safety” refers to that washer, not to the use.
The result is clean first time, regular, and it's what gives amigurumi their recognisable gaze.
They go on once and for all: after the washer clicks, they don't come off. So they must be placed before you close the piece, and in the right spot.
What the under-three rule says
A correctly fitted safety eye holds. But on a toy meant for a child under three, European toy standards require that no small part can come away — and a handmade amigurumi is not a lab-tested toy.
For a new baby or a first birthday, choose a box with embroidered eyes. It's the only one that raises no question at all.
This isn't theoretical: four of our kits are rattles, meant for precisely that age.
If the box has none
Some listings mention no eyes at all. We flag it kit by kit rather than promising in bulk — that is exactly the kind of sentence we hold against sellers.
A pair of safety eyes costs around €3.50, and the packet always holds several pairs. To embroider, you only need black thread you probably already own.
So, how to choose
For yourself, for an adult, for decoration: safety eyes — better finish, faster.
For a baby or a young child: embroidered, no discussion.
