Hobbies & InterestsCollectingIf you go down to the woods ... and more tales of teddy bears If you go down to the woods ... and more tales of teddy bears
By Brian Jones - 10/10/2008
Most of us have a teddy bear stashed somewhere - especially an old childhood favourite. But where did teddies originate from, and how did they become the favourites they are today?
One of the earliest soft toys is a rag doll dating from the third century BC, discovered at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt, in the tomb of a child. But commercially-produced soft toy animals, including bears, didn’t appear until the late 19th century - and a prominent figure in making it happen was Margarete Steiff.
Born in 1847, Margarete was confined to a wheelchair for most of her life after contracting polio during childhood. But determined to maintain her independence and become self-sufficient, she developed her skills as a dressmaker, eventually opening out into mail-order and expanding the business. With the left-over material she started making novelties for children, including soft toys in animal shapes - and in 1899 produced patterns for a number of animals including a polar bear and a dancing bear. But these 'early bears' were unjointed and quite stiff - and certainly did not have today's appealing 'teddy' qualities.
In the very-early 1900s the company designed a soft plush bear cub with movable legs and arms, a number of which were taken to America - although they didn’t sell at all well. Then, during a toy fair at Leipzig in March 1903, the American New York department store owner Hermann Berg was delighted with the Margete's bear and ordered a large number for the following Christmas. They sold well - and teddy bears had arrived!
The Steiff company's bears gradually became less realistic and started to take on more of the now-traditional characteristics that appeal to children - such as softer fillings, pads without claws and more-attractive faces.
But America can lay a similar claim to be the birthplace of the teddy bear. In late 1902 a stuffed toy bear was displayed in the window of a store in Brooklyn, New York, and was named by the store owner as ‘Teddy’s Bear’, after the American President Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt. Keen on the outdoor life, Roosevelt was on a political visit to Mississippi during November 1902, with time set aside for a bear hunting expedition. But because the President hadn’t managed to kill a single bear, his fellow hunters chased down and stunned a black bear and tethered it to a tree to give the President an easy target. 'Teddy' refused to kill the tied up helpless animal.
Inspired by the story spread by the press, the wife of the owner of the Brooklyn store made a toy bear which was displayed in the window. And the description ‘Teddy Bear’ has remained with us ever since. The bears became so popular that the owners gave up their store and formed the Ideal Toy and Novelty Company, later renamed the Ideal Toy Company - which eventually became one of the most successful toy businesses in the United States.
Teddy bears are as popular today as they ever were, both with children and collectors, and some of the early bears made by Steiff and other contemporary companies can fetch high prices at toy auctions. A light brown mohair, straw-filled Steiff teddy bear, sporting a humped back, swivel head and jointed shoulders and hips and dating from around 1909, sold at auction in 2007 for £2,800. And the rare straw-filled white mohair Steiff teddy bear, dating from around 1925, sold in November 2006 for a staggering price of £25,200 - testimony indeed to the rarity and attraction of these items.
So, if you're thinking of adding teddy bears to your Christmas shopping list, why not check out any teddies you already have stashed away? If they are in reasonably good condition, with working ‘growlers’ and, ideally, the maker’s nametag still attached, it might be worthwhile having them valued. Even if a little worse for loving wear, you can still have them checked out. You never know - your treasured teddy bear may be a rarity!
Brian Jones and his friend operate an online shop selling collectible and other teddy bears. To find out more, click the link below or write to: Bearly There Yorkshire, PO Box 802, Bradford BD10 9WX. Or give Brian a call on 01274 638792.