The only outdoor project for textiles I've heard of is the overalls or pants that folks made into planters. I believe that they used multiple coats of polyurethane. You could do a search and see what come up. My concern would be that once moisture intruded that the stuffing would mold. Do you think it would work to make a hole in the bottom of your animal then pull out the polyfill. you could then stuff them temporarily with plastic or something like that then polyurethane the fur. After you've finished coating them remove the temporary filling. No worries about waterlogged stuffing that way. Paint it how ever you like after that. Let us know how it works out and post pics! ~~Mimi

If the stuffed animals in question are "special" and you really want to salvage them, try the following. Remove stuffing and throw away. Mold spores are in and will remain in the stuffing. Not safe for your child. Next, wash the animals using mold killing solution (maybe liquid Lysol). If animals are free of mold, re-stuff animals with new stuffing. Doubt you will want to go to this much trouble. I personally would buy new stuffed animals and not take the risk of mold spores still being in the animals. Health of our babies/children are more important than stuffed toys.

I would just drop them off at your local charity thrift store. Ours always has tons. Our local quilt guild does an "animal and a quilt" type fundraiser thing. Since most all stuffed animals can be easily thrown in the washer, people pick up animals and then make small quilts to go with them. After people "bid" on their favorites, they are donated to the local police/fire/ambulance/social services to give to the kids they work with. The groups willingly take them since they know everything is clean. Gloria

I've only recently started collecting the smaller stuffed animals to recycle as plastic bag holders! BEWARE this is not for the squeamish: I dissect them, cut off their arms and legs, and sew the bodies shut just above where the legs would be. I elongate the arms and make dresses for them, but they're really to hold your your old plastic grocery bags. You can buy a pattern on ebay, or just make up your own for the dress part. I'll probably end up selling them on ebay someday, right now, I only have a couple of bears.