Name: John
Message: hi i just purcahed a white stuffed animal sheep i wish to dye pink. however i am not sure which type of dye would be best to use. the tage says it is 100% tylon. any help would be greatly appreciated

The important question is what fiber the material is made of. Cellulose fibers such as cotton and rayon are easy to dye at room temperature with fiber reactive dyes; nylon requires heat and acid and a type of dye called acid dye; and polyester requires an hour of boiling with a special dye called disperse dye. Is your toy sheep washable? You cannot dye anything that is not washable.

It appears that "Tylon" - described by the Ty company as an "exclusive manmade fabric that has the most luxurious feel you'll ever find on a plush toy" - may be a trade name for a type of nylon made by Tyne Plastics. (Reference: Engineering Training Services' list of "Tradenames for Plastics".) If this is true, then it is probably possible to use acid dyes to dye the material. However, it is not impossible that there are two entirely different fibers being called by the same name, in which case your sheep might be made of something that is essentially undyeable. Others have written to me of unsuccessful attempts to dye Ty Beanie Babies, after which the dye simply rinsed right out, but these were not labeled as being made of Tylon - in fact the labels did not indicate the fiber content of the surface fabric - so we just do not know for sure.

To see how to use acid dyes, see, for example, Prochem's instructions on Immersion Dyeing Nylon using WashFast Acid Dyes, or Rainbow Dyeing using WashFast Acid Dyes.

Please let me know whether or not you are successful in dyeing your toy sheep.