Steiff - A Potted History Of The Worlds Favourite Toymaker
Margarete Steiff was born in 1847 and died in 1909. As a child she suffered from polio and took up sewing as a hobby before later becoming a seamstress. Originally she began making animals for use as pincushions, taking inspiration from designs she found in a magazine with her brother Fritz. Only later, when she found out that children were using these as toys and playing with them, did she begin making toy animals.
The first toy animal she made was an elephant, not a bear as many people think. When Margarete Steiff offered this elephant for sale even she was amazed to recieve an order for 3000 of them. And so the legend began.
1880 Development of the first soft-filled fabric toy animal
1892 The first Steiff catalogue was published
1893 Steiff attended its first trade fair
1902 The Teddy bear was born - Steiff invented the first plush animal
1903 The legendary jointed Steiff "55PB" bear was presented and sold for the first time at the Leipzig Spring Fair.
1907 Steiff sold 974,000 Teddy bears, quite an achievement as they had only been producing bears for five years.
American President Theodore Roosevelt - nicknamed "Teddy" - played an important role in the success of the Steiff bear and in the choice of name. "Teddy" was a passionate bear hunter, but on one hunting trip in Mississippi he had failed to make any successful kills so his hosts presented him with a bera that they had caught and offered it to the president for the kill. He refused to shoot the poor animal, saying 'Spare the bear', and this moment was famously reproduced by the cartoonist of the Washington Post. Some New York shopowners heard about this and decided to make a toy bear, calling it Teddy's Bear. At the same time Steiff made 3000 bears for exporting to the USA and the Teddy's Bear, or Teddy Bear, name stuck.
The range of Steiff branded animals available now covers just about any animal you can think of - meerkats, dogs, cats, lions, rabbits, hippos, giraffes, badgers, pandas, kangaroos, and even some extinct dinosaurs and mythical creatures like unicorns and dragons!
Steiff produce the materials for their animals in their own mills in Germany. Plush cotton, mohair, cashmere, imitation fur, all made to the highest standards. Many of the animals have their faces and fur hand-painted, so no two are exactly identical.
Questions and Answers
Steiff are the worlds oldest and best soft toy manufacturer. Steiff bears have been collected by generations of adults and children, and collectors have paid tens of thiusands of pounds for a single bear. What is it that makes Steiff bears and animals so sought after? This article explains the detail of Steiffs manufacturing process, from basic fabric made in their own mills to final product, so you can understand for yourself why Steiff bears are so loved and sought after.
Steiff Bears are a hot collectible right now, and you can make some serious money with this hobby. Take a look now...
What is a Stuffed Animal? Well, it is usually a soft toy meant for little children made up of materials such as plush fabrics, artificial furs, cotton fabric, and other types of textiles. Depending on the end product it is usually filled with a variety of stuffing such as foam, synthetic fibers, pellets, beans and cotton. Stuffed animal toys are made in different forms often resembling a variety of cute monkeys, charming and cuddly bears, cats, lovely birds, variety of horses, penguins etc.
Practically everyone on the planet has heard of Steiff Teddy Bears, the Teddy Bears with buttons in their ears. Steiff Teddy Bears have a big and fascinating history and their Teddy Bears quality and design really are second to none.
Just like humans the Teddy Bear needs a friend too and these friends include Old Stuffed Dogs, Cats and Gollies.
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Steiff are the worlds oldest and best soft toy manufacturer. Steiff bears have been collected by generations of adults and children, and collectors have paid tens of thiusands of pounds for a single bear. What is it that makes Steiff bears and animals so sought after? This article explains the detail of Steiffs manufacturing process, from basic fabric made in their own mills to final product, so you can understand for yourself why Steiff bears are so loved and sought after.
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