Spotlight on Steiff®
Freedom is believing in yourself.
—Margarete Steiff
Margarete Steiff fought against many odds to become an independent entrepreneur. She founded the Steiff company in 1880 by producing a fabric pincushion in the shape of a small elephant, and this charming elephant soon became a popular children’s toy. In addition to this elephant, Margarete’s first Steiff product catalog included monkeys, donkeys, horses, camels, pigs, dogs, cats, rabbits, and giraffes!
Margarete exhibited her Steiff toys at the 1893 Leipzig Toy Fair in Germany and then began selling her toys at Harrods in London. Richard Steiff, Margarete’s favorite uncle, joined the Steiff company after attending The School of Applied Arts and studying in England. His animal sketches are the basis for many Steiff creations, and he designed the world’s first plush bear with movable arms and legs. This little bear conquered the world in 1902 when an American dealer discovered the bear at the Leipzig Toy Fair. He ordered 3,000 products, and the bear became a success in the USA. In 1904, the Steiff “button in the ear” trademark was created to protect Steiff animals from imitation.
In 1906, the Steiff bear became the Teddy Bear! President Theodore Roosevelt, whose nickname was “Teddy,” refused to shoot a helpless bear tied to a leash that he encountered during one of his hunting trips. The President was then portrayed in a cartoon in the Washington Post along with a small bear, which was great publicity for the Steiff bear. The Teddy Bear Boom began and Steiff achieved worldwide recognition.
The elephant that started it all (not for sale).
Margarete Steiff died in 1909, but her company was continued and expanded by her nephews. In the 1920s, they introduced assembly line production to meet high demand, and in 1931 Steiff created the first figures together with Disney, a partnership that continues today.
On the company’s 100th Anniversary, the Steiff Museum was opened in Germany, and a second museum was opened 25 years later. Steiff is renowned today for the invention of the soft toy and for 140 years of new plush toys that are still beloved by collectors and children around the world!
I greatly admire the talent and determination of Margarete Steiff, and my own family-run business loves working with Steiff, which is a sixth-generation family business. We are so happy to present some of our favorite Steiff creations in our Menus and Music catalogs!
