Teddy Bear Encyclopedia

by Emerson-Roberts, Gillian

• ISBN13: 9780789480002
• ISBN10: 078948000X
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-07-25
• Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.

Summary

This encyclopedia brings the art of arctophily (teddy bear collecting) up to date. This edition adds 24 important antique and new bears to the more than 500 rare, familiar, classic and modern bears. Photos.

Excerpts

Chapter One

Steiff 1902-05

EXPERIMENTAL PERIOD; INTRODUCTION OF "BUTTON IN EAR"

In 1902, Richard Steiff began experimenting to invent a satisfactory, flexible jointing system. He devised a series of simple, string-jointed animals, one of which was the brown Bär 55 PB — so called because it was 22in (55cm) high (seated), made of Plusch (plush), and Beweglich (movable). The bear was in a crate of toys sent to New York in February 1903, but was initially unsuccessful. A month later, however, US wholesalers Geo. Borgfeldt & Co. ordered 3,000 at the Leipzig Spring Fair. Steiff patented four designs, culminating in the rod-jointed Bär 28 PB. Made for only one year, it was copied by Wilhlem Strunz of Nuremberg, leading to ongoing legal disputes.

1904-05 Rod jointed; elephant logo

Richard Steiff's bear evolved further in 1904: a cardboard-disk and string-jointed Bär 35 PB was registered on March 5, and a double-wire-jointed bear was registered later that year, on December 6. The teddy bear illustrated is rod-jointed like Bär 28 PB (registered June 8, 1905), but is larger. The rodded bears were given a new trademark in November 1904 — a nickel-plated button, with Steiff's elephant and S-shaped trunk logo.

Bear Profile

In profile, you can clearly see the typical characteristics of early Steiff bears: the elongated, pointed muzzle; the hump; the rounded lower back; the large feet; and the long arms, which extend beyond the legs when the bear is seated.

c.1903-04 White; rodded

This rodded bear, with an elephant button, is probably a prototype — this color does not appear on any known production bear. Its crooked, cinnamon-colored embroidered nose is a replacement; the original beige stitching for the mouth is just visible.