The German Teddy Bear Story
The year was 1902. The teddy bear was about to be born in Germany. Richard Steiff had joined his aunt Margarete’s toy factory in Giengen several years earlier after qualifying from art school in Stuttgart, his primary role to develop new toys for the factory to make.
In 1902, unaware of what was going on in the United States, Richard talked his aunt into making a new toy, a soft plush bear with movable arms and legs modeled after sketches of real bears he had drawn at the zoo. Margarete reluctantly agreed, and thus PB55 was born. He was not an instant hit, however, not even when he was shown at the Leipzig Toy Fair in March 1903.
Yet at the end of the fair, a buyer from an American toy store happened by the Steiff stand, liked the bear, and ordered 3,000 of them. Steiff records show they were shipped, but no record exists of them being received. It’s one of the great mysteries of toydom.
More shipments of Steiff bears to the United States followed, demand fueled by the teddy bear craze that was occurring in that country due in part to President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt’s lending of his name to the toy and his use of teddy bears in his reelection campaign for a second term in office.
But PB55 was not born in a vacuum, for toy making was not new to Germany. Actually, European toy making had been centered in Germany since the Reformation. And bears were one of the favorite toys made—solid bears standing on their hind legs playing a drum or on four legs on a wheeled stand for children to pull. These bears were very popular, but were not soft and cuddly.
Giengen, however, was known more for its dressmaking than for toys. That all changed with Margarete Steiff.
A seamstress herself, Margarete’s journey into the world of soft plush toys began inconspicuously when she made a soft elephant from felt as a pincushion for herself. Liking the result, she made more as gifts for family and friends. The elephants became so popular that on December 29, 1880, she decided to sell them. A whole menagerie of soft toy animals followed, with great success – dogs and monkeys to name a few. No bears, however, for quite some time. When a Steiff bear was first made, it wasn’t a plush toy, but part of a skittles set, in itself very popular.
Then came PB55 in 1902, the Steiff’s first soft bear. He had long arms but a short body, a long pointed muzzle and a hump at the top of his back to make him look like a real bear. His fur was made of mohair. His first name was Petsy. It wasn’t until 1908 that the term “teddy bear” became to be applied to PB55 and his successors in the Steiff toy factory.
Eventually the teddy bear craze came to Europe. Children loved the cuddly toy, and even adults were drawn to them. In addition to Steiff, companies such as Bing, Strunz and Moritz Pappe were early entries into the world of teddy bears. At one point over 150 companies, both factories and cottage industries, were giving birth to teddy bears in Germany alone. Although many were sent to the United States, many were kept in Europe as companions.
The two world wars had a definite impact on teddy bear manufacturing in Germany as many countries banned imports from Germany. But many teddy bear companies survived, including Steiff, and today Steiff is considered the Granddaddy of teddy bears. Young and old, children and collectors, treasure the hand-crafted teddies that Steiff continues to make.