The History of Steiff
Many events happened in the year of 1880; Pierre and Jacques Curie discovered piezoelectricity, Thomas Edison founded the Science journal, and the Cologne Cathedral in Germany was finally completed. To add to this, 1880 is the year that Margarete Steiff founded the well known toy company, Steiff.
Margarete, who was wheelchair bound due to contracting polio as an infant, was originally employed as a seamstress. Using these talents, she began to make stuffed toy animals in her spare time, starting with an elephant design that she later sold on to her friends as pincushions. When she realised that children also liked the elephants, she expanded the range to incorporate more animals, including pigs and dogs. In 1897, her nephew Richard joined her and in 1902, the original Steiff teddy bear was born. 974, 000 Steiff teddies were made in 1907 alone, and this number has increased ever since.
Margarete believed that the children who would play with her toys should have the best quality possible, and in fact her slogan became 'Only the best is good enough for children'. This is still the slogan to this day, and it is no doubt that this gave rise to the vigorous testing that the Steiff toys undergo before they are sold in the shops. They have to be strong enough to resist wear and tear, tension, and must be highly flameproof. On top of this, all genuine Steiff animals must have the trademark button in the ear (or other places, if the animal in question does not have an ear as part of the design). There will always be a button on a genuine Steiff teddy; this button has the name 'Steiff' on it, and some special or limited edition toys have both the Steiff name and an elephant on the button. This is to reflect the original buttons designed in 1904 by Margarete's nephew Franz, which featured the original elephant on them. The point of this button is to prevent fake toys being passed off as being made by Steiff, and with the prices that some of these toys can reach, this is definitely a good thing for the consumer!
Margarete died at age 61 in 1909, but Steiff to this day is still going strong. It is still a family business and people collect the Steiff teddy bears and other animals all over the world. The original toys may have all followed the same designs, but there is a huge variety available to buy now, with options such as personalisation being offered as well as other products such as pendants, pins and ornaments to supplement people's desire to own a Steiff item. In addition to their popularity with children, a lot of adults specify they would like to own a Steiff teddy or animal when asked what gifts they would like for occasions such as birthdays and Christmas. Buying someone a personalised Steiff teddy is a popular idea as well; with this option available, it is possible to buy someone a present they can cherish for the rest of their lives as it is so personal to them. Personalised Steiff teddies still have the trademark button in their ear, so it is definitely a genuine product regardless of where it is bought from, as it is possible to buy Steiff animals from retailers other than Steiff themselves.
