I have two of those flocked animals, the dog and the Siamese cat. They work fine with my in-house transmitter (aka B-T agile modulator) and are more fun to look at than the junky thrift-store antennas I formerly used.
I haven't torn one apart to see what's inside. I assume something like a coil of glorified tinfoil. These were cheap novelties, not serious DXing gear
Phil Nelson