Buttoning up a soft legacy

The button-in-ear logo, recognized around the world, belongs to a company unintentionally started by German seamstress Margarete Steiff when she stitched her first felt elephant in 1880 to be used as a pincushion. What is striking about this bit of history is its resemblance to the current practices of Steiff, namely that these stuffed elephants, among thousands of other animals, are still being hand-made in Germany. Begun in 1880, Giengen-based The Margarete Steiff Toy Company is still known for stuffed toys that represent "dedication to the best quality possible, distinct design and expressiveness," Martin Frechen, president, Steiff North America, told PLAYTHINGS.

While Steiff items may still be hand made in Germany the company has certainly undergone many changes in the past 122 years. From 1902 to 1908 Richard Steiff, Margarete's nephew, revolutionized both the company and the toy industry by designing a variety of stuffed bears, from bears mounted on metal frames with wheels to the eventual creation of his teddy bears. The evolution of Steiff teddy bears came at Margarete's urging, as she pushed Richard to design warmer, cuddlier bears, instead of the realistic-looking circus bears of his earliest designs. During these years of invention and innovation many other toy companies tried to reproduce Steiff animals. Margarete patented the "button-in-ear" phrase in 1905, allowing consumers to distinguish a Steiff product by the easily identifiable trademark.

Steiff's repertoire soon exceeded stuffed elephants and bears. Besides countless other stuffed animals, Steiff also created products based on popular cartoons and children's books. The Katzenjammer Kids, Happy Hooligans and Mother Hubbard were among the models for new Steiff products. The repertoire of Steiff materials was also expanded, as felt (the material of choice for Steiff animals) became scarce during WWI. After the war, mohair became the popular material, allowing Richard and other Steiff nephews to create and sell a variety of new soft toys.

When soldiers invaded the Steiff factory in 1943 toy production came to a halt. The factory was used to make war equipment until 1945. All that remained of the toy company was its archives, somehow preserved and spared during the war. As mohair was hard to come by after the war, plush animals were created, becoming a popular staple material for Steiff teddy bears.

New Steiff designs continued to capture the hearts of consumers through the '50s and '60s. In 1980 the growing demand for original Steiff animals prompted the company to begin reproducing some of its earliest designs. Collectors delighted in the resurgence of classic Steiff pieces, such as the reproduction of Richard's 1905 bärle teddy bear.

Today, Steiff considers itself part of the specialty gift category. Steiff products are a unique and treasured gift from "a grandparent to a grandchild or from one adult to another," said Frechen. Steiff plush have sold, and will continue to sell, through years of economic prosperity as well as years of hardship, says Frechen, because "for a truly good product—with the best quality materials and design—there are always people who will buy it."

Next month: Bachmann