The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word MASCOTS
M
A
S
C
O
T
S
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "large cuddly animals" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case large cuddly animals = mascots.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does MASCOTS mean?
MASCOTS noun- Something thought to bring good luck
- Something, especially a person or animal, used to symbolize a sports team, company, organization or other group