The halftime whistle blows, and the sky fills with stuffed animals.
This has happened every December in Seville since 2018, when Real Betis Balompié supporters began throwing their own stuffed animals onto the pitch, inspired by an idea they had seen Feyenoord fans carry out in the Netherlands. What began as a small gesture became one of the most beloved traditions in Spanish football: thousands of people, of all ages, save a stuffed animal for months just to throw it onto the pitch at exactly the right moment.
The club and its Foundation collect every bear, rabbit, or stuffed toy—always with clear rules: under 30 centimeters, no batteries, no hard parts—and distribute them among children in vulnerable situations throughout the region. In the latest edition, more than 25.000 stuffed animals fell onto the pitch, the highest figure since it all began. Every Christmas, without exception, Villamarín or La Cartuja briefly become the place where thousands of strangers decide that no child should be left without a gift under the tree.
