Steiff History Archives - The Toy Store

WEBINAR: The Story of the Teddy Bear

March 14, 2021March 14, 2021

Steiff Teddy Bear History Webinar German historian Anette Isaacs relates the truly awe-inspiring life of teddy bear toy-maker and business maven Margarete Steiff. About this Event Date and Time Mon, March 29, 2021 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM EDT Registration Page It is common knowledge that President Theodore Roosevelt was the namesake of the world-famous Teddy Bear. Hardly anyone knows, though, that the cuddly stuffed toys were invented by an amazing woman from Southern Germany who overcame terrible sickness and …

Margarete Steiff – 2021 Toy Industry Hall of Fame Inductee

February 15, 2021February 12, 2021

2021 Posthumous Inductee – Margarete Steiff Born in 1847 in Giengen an der Brenz, Germany, Margarete Steiff (1847-1909) was stricken with polio at 18 months old and would spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. As a young girl, her parents arranged for her to take sewing lessons along with her sisters; they felt these lessons were vitally important so that she could one day support herself. Even though polio had left her permanently paralyzed, she learned to …

Steiff Anniversary Marks 140 Years of Business

February 14, 2021February 4, 2020

Steiff Anniversary Celebrates 140 Years The Steiff Anniversary marks 140 years with a new collection of plush, collectibles, and baby products at Toy Fair New York. The Steiff North America collection will make its debut alongside “some awe-inspiring studio animals” when the company hosts a 140th anniversary party at its booth on Saturday, Feb. 22. Party guests will receive a sweet treat and gift while supplies last, and will have a chance to win a 140th Anniversary Paddy Teddy …

Margarete Steiff: A Brief Biography

February 13, 2021June 23, 2019

Margarete Steiff – Founder of Steiff Margarete Steiff: A paralyzed seamstress created a toy empire. She managed to be incredible, as a woman with her disability was already written off in the 19th century. Despite her fate, the German Margarete Steiff did not give up and created the toy empire that still exists today. An inconspicuous tailor in a wheelchair created the first plush toys. Among them is the legendary teddy bear. Apolonia Margarete, or even Gretel – as everyone …

The Teddy Bear Who Took On Hitler’s Third Reich

February 13, 2021June 23, 2019

Tom Matthews and the WWII Steiff Bear This is the four foot, battered teddy bear who took on Hitler’s Third Reich – and won. Quite simply, there’s not a bear in the world who can boast the wartime exploits of this paw-atrooper. Yes, he needs some TLC – he’s effectively blind, with buttons for eyes, and the ears need re-stitching. But that’s hardly surprising for a mascot that marched with our troops all the way to Berlin. The toy trooper …