Steiff North America

Steiff is a German-based plush toy company known for its high quality and equally high prices. It was begun in 1880 by Margarete Steiff, who was later assisted by her brother Fritz. Their nephew Richard joined in 1897, who gave the company an enormous boost in popularity by creating the teddy bear in 1902. In 1907, Steiff manufactured 974,000 bears, and has been increasing its output ever since.

The Steiff company motto, as styled by Margarete Steiff, is “Only the best is good enough for children”. Steiff products are subject to meticulous testing and inspection. They are required to be highly flame resistant and, among other things, smaller pieces such as eyes must be able to resist considerable tension, wear and tear, etc.

The most common materials used in Steiff toys are alpaca, felt, mohair, and woven plush. Eyes are generally made of wood or glass, and the stuffing is commonly wood shavings or polyester fibers. A large amount of the work is done by hand, from design sketches to airbrushed paint. The final touch on any Steiff toy is the trademark “button in ear” (assuming the animal has one; in any case they’ll find a spot for it).