An animated toy which comprises a rigid hollow base over the open top of which there is a flexible sheet of plush fabric material. Rotatably mounted in the base there is a wheel, the bottom of which extends beneath the bottom surface of the base. A cam interconnects the wheel with the underside of the plush fabric covering such that movement of the toy over a surface effects expansion and contraction of the plush fabric cover. On the exterior surface of the plush fabric cover there are animal characteristics, such as nose and eyes, so that the impression created by the expansion and contraction of the cover is one of a living, breathing animal.