Tucked inside TLCco—just past the colour-coded racks and tiny shoes—you’ll find a collection of plush toys curled up in sleeping bags, waiting patiently to be adopted. This isn’t just a sweet corner of the shop. It’s the home of Soft Darlings, a whimsical yet deeply purposeful plush toy adoption agency with a mission to spread comfort, dignity, and joy—both in Australia and far beyond.
Soft Darlings operates as a resident initiative within TLCco, selling through the store rent-free, so every cent raised can go where it matters most: to supporting women and children living in poverty.
What Is Soft Darlings?
At its heart, Soft Darlings is about giving things (and people) a second chance. The agency restores gently loved soft toys, packages them up with handmade sleeping bags, pillows, and personality-filled bios, and prepares them for re-adoption. Each plush is full of charm and ready for a new life with a child who will love them fiercely.
But here’s the real magic:
For every Soft Darling adopted, another plush toy is sent to a child in need—usually in remote communities in the Philippines where toys, comfort items, and even essentials are often out of reach.
The Bigger Impact: Beyond the Toys
Soft Darlings isn’t just about teddies. Proceeds from each adoption also go toward shipping medical supplies, clothing, and period care kits to women and children living in extreme poverty. These items are donated by the TLCco community, sorted with care, and packed into shipments that are delivered directly—no waste, no middlemen, and no red tape.
Every item is treated with dignity. Every parcel is prepared with love.
The Woman Behind the Magic: Micaela
Soft Darlings is led by Micaela, co-founder of TLCco and the much-loved face behind the shopfront. A former children’s publisher and mum to her IVF miracle, Quin, Micaela brings heart, hustle, and a laser focus on doing good quietly.
Her connection to the Philippines runs deep through her husband, whose family has strong community ties to rural areas often overlooked by traditional aid channels. Micaela has made it her mission to honour that connection—channelling resources from Canberra to places where they’re most needed, all while running TLCco’s bustling store and donation programs here at home.
She works behind the scenes to ensure that every donation is intentional, respectful, and reaches real people with real needs—not sitting in storage or lost in bureaucracy.
With a Little Help From the Circle
This work wouldn’t be possible without the Canberra Circle of Women—a volunteer-led crew of wise, kind, and wildly capable local women who help sort, stitch, and support every Soft Darlings package and donation drive. Whether they’re sewing tiny sleeping bags or prepping boxes for overseas, their work is quiet but powerful.
Together with Micaela, they form the backbone of this deeply local, beautifully global initiative.
Why TLCco Hosts Them (Rent-Free!)
Soft Darlings is not owned by TLCco—but TLCco is proud to give them a rent-free space to reach more families, raise more funds, and keep the mission going strong. It’s part of TLCco’s commitment to circular fashion, community impact, and practical kindness.
This means every Soft Darling sold in-store is maximising its impact—with no cut taken for overheads or commissions.
How You Can Support
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Adopt a Soft Darling – Find them in-store, complete with bios, bags, and big hearts.
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Donate gently loved plushies – The clean, cuddly kind with a little more life in them.
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Sew sleeping bags & pillows
- Spread the word – Share the mission with friends, family, and fellow soft toy lovers.
- Follow the journey – Keep up with Soft Darlings through TLCco’s updates and events.
More Than Cute
Soft Darlings is proof that the simplest things—a soft toy, a shared story, a handmade sleeping bag—can do so much good. It’s about kids helping kids, mums helping mums, and women quietly lifting one another up from opposite sides of the world.
So next time you meet a Soft Darling in-store, know you’re not just giving a toy a new home.
You’re part of something bigger. Something softer. And something that truly matters.