Why Did The Beautiful South Put Fluffy Toys On Their Debut Album Cover?

When The Beautiful South’s seminal debut album 'Welcome To The Beautiful South' was reissued on vinyl in 2018, fans were quick to notice the fluffy toys adorning its cover. Curiously inconspicuous, the image of a teddy bear and rabbit aren’t particularly striking in their position in the middle of an otherwise empty cover design. Apart from the unembellished title text, it’s just the stuffed toys and a contoured sea blue. For anyone who remembers the album’s 1989 release, the PC cover art recalls a very un-PC original design that caused quite a stir.

Woolworths – remember them?

'Welcome To The Beautiful South' was the first record released by the pop rock band from Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Noted for its three singles including 'Song for Whoever' which reached number two in the UK charts, the album is otherwise better known for the controversy it originally caused.

Named one of the 'Top 100 Albums You've Never Heard' by NME in 2012, the album wasn’t initially going to feature the image of the teddy bear and the rabbit. Instead, it was to display a man and woman, smoking and holding weapons. This was deemed too offensive.

Woolworths, a major retail chain with around 800 stores throughout Britain at the time, refused to stock it. For the record label, the London-based Go! Discs, this would have been a huge issue for the record.

So the decision was taken to change the cover to something less striking. Funnily enough, Woolworths’ main problem was the idea that it would encourage people to take up smoking. That was deemed less problematic than the woman cradling a gun between her teeth.

Time for a change

The original cover design by Jan Saudek was swapped for the images most fans in the UK now associate with the record. There were rumours the original photographs would be used for the vinyl reissue in 2018 but these proved to be false.

It makes sense from a commercial perspective today. Aside from the fact the vinyl artwork celebrates the original release as it was first seen by fans, it comes at a time when the market for stuffed animals and plush toys is on the rise. According to Data Bridge Market Research, growth of 8% between 2021 and 2028 is expected.

It comes as no surprise to see these types of toys become staples of today’s pop culture. Famously, Seth MacFarlane’s Ted, about a cuss-happy teddy bear, was a box office smash hit and spawned an equally successful sequel. Elsewhere, we’re seeing our fluffy favourites in games like the online slot at Buzz Bingo in which hippos, dragons, pandas and a bear are adorably animated for the highest-paying symbols.

There’s also Catherine Abanina who ran a very successful Etsy store in which she sold cuddly versions of famous horror movie monsters. Best sellers included the xenomorph from Alien and the battle-ready Predator from the iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger movie of 1987.