2 04, 2016

Souvenir Saturday: German Steiff Triceratops

By |April 2nd, 2016|Categories: Dinosaurs, Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |0 Comments

One souvenir on my checklist from Germany was a real Teddy Bear made by Steiff, one of the first makers of the modern Teddy Bear. I have a few old and antique Teddy Bears, and figured one directly from Germany would be a great addition to the collection. But while in Munich I stopped into a toy store...on Christmas Eve of all days! It was absolute chaos. I dodged and dived between rambunctious children. Just as I was about to give up and turn around I saw the Steiff section and decided to have a look. But I had walked

19 03, 2016

History of the Steiff Teddy Bear

By |March 19th, 2016|Categories: History, Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: , , , , , , |0 Comments

The first Teddy Bear started in Germany with an Elephant. Actually it was an Elephant pin cushion. By 1879 Margarete Steiff had a successful clothing business and had made an Elephant pin cushion but found that children liked to play with it. In just 6 years 5000 little Elephants had been sold, and Margarete started to make different animals. As the variety grew, the phrase "For children, only the best is good enough!" became the hallmark of the Steiff brand. In 1902 Margarete’s nephew created the design for the first stuffed bear with movable arms and legs. But it wasn't until 1906