Teddy Bear (English: Teddy Bear) is translated as Teddy Bear in Chinese, but according to local parlance in the United States, it should be called Roosevelt Bear.
Strictly speaking, the stuffed bears we commonly see today cannot be considered real teddy bears. Just like cars have different shapes, specifications, and brands, stuffed bears also have different brands, styles, appearances, and even designers. There is no way to use teddy bears to represent all bears. However, because teddy bears are really popular. It is so widely used that people often refer to all plush teddy bears as teddy bears.
Teddy Bear - Introduction "Teddy Bear" is a proper noun. Only bears manufactured between 1903 and 1912 can be called teddy bears. But now, teddy bear has developed into a general term for almost all stuffed teddy bears. It was officially born in 1903 by the American Creative Toy Company. However, the name "Teddy Bear" is really well-known in Europe and the United States, thanks to the German Staifford Company (although Staifford Bear was only later included in the "Teddy Bear" ” series).
At the end of the 19th century, Margaret Steffor of Germany founded the Steffel Company, and her nephew Richard Steffel took on the task of designing paper molds for plush dolls. In 1905, Stafford launched the Richard Stafford bear with a cute expression, round face, pointed muzzle, embroidered nose and round body. From then on, the stuffed bears began to enter a period of glory, and Richard Stafford became the most famous designer in the history of stuffed bears. Stevie Bear became increasingly popular in the United States, and people began to name it after everyone's favorite "Teddy". In this way, Steffford Bear officially became a type of teddy bear.
Now, there are hundreds of brands of teddy bears in the world, the most famous of which is of course the German Steifel company. In addition, there are Hermann, Kosen (Germany), Gund, Russ, Little Gem (the United States) ), GANZ (Canada), Merrythought (UK), AURORA (South Korea) and other world-famous brands.
Today's teddy bears are just like Barbie dolls. They are no longer just ordinary toys. Rather, they are endowed with various special commemorative meanings and are responsible for inheriting a certain culture. role. Especially in Europe and the United States, a teddy bear can be regarded as a member of the family, and can even accompany three generations of the family to grow up.
Teddy Bear - History In fact, stuffed teddy bears existed long before the teddy bear appeared. Although there is currently no direct evidence to prove the origin of the earliest invention of the teddy bear and the origin of the naive teddy bear, there are traces of teddy bears as early as the end of the 19th century. In 1880, the most popular toy in Berlin was a wooden bear standing on all fours (on all fours was a toy car that could be pulled around). During the same period, it was also popular in local bars in Moscow. A drinking bear made of automatic clockwork (Drinking Bear, a clockwork bear toy, in addition to holding a wine bottle and pouring wine into a wine glass to drink, it can also smoke and dance), this kind of automatic drinking bear Teddy bears were very novel and popular at the time. Steiff, now the most famous teddy bear manufacturing company, also produced some upright non-ragdoll bear toys with iron chains embedded in the nose in 1893, but these have not been baptized by more than a hundred years. The teddy bear appears in a realistic image. It is not only visually realistic, but also relatively heavy and hard to the touch. It will take a long time to develop into the now recognized stuffed bear with rotatable limbs. The evolution of many materials, fillings and shapes.
In fact, teddy bear was originally an independent proper noun. The most correct statement should be that it was only before the First World War, that is, during the tenure of President Roosevelt, from 1903 to 1912. Only a manufactured bear can be called a teddy bear.
The teddy bear, born in 1903, originated from President Roosevelt’s hobby of bears and the popularity at the time. It can be said to be the ancestor of today’s stuffed bears. It has a round and plump body and limbs, fluffy and warm Angora wool, simple materials and embroidery thread, a simple and honest expression, and 100% hand sewing and stuffing. Whether they come from the United States or Europe, the spirits left over from ancient times still exist today.
However, such real teddy bears, or even so-called antique bears, are now rare. Only in books, museums, or collectors' homes can we have a chance to see their true appearance. However, these teddy bears that will no longer return have been revived again due to the current retro trend and historical nostalgia, as well as the concept of auctions and collectors' value preservation. Manufacturers have re-molded and manufactured replica bears that imitate the style of the time. , or retro bear toys that are specially designed to imitate old times.
Teddy Bear - Introduction to STEIFF Teddy Bear Margaret, Ms. Steiff was born in Giengen, a small town in southern Germany in 1847. Unfortunately, she suffered from polio when she was one and a half years old. From then on, she was destined to have to Spending her life in a wheelchair did not deter this lively and optimistic little girl, who founded her own velvet clothing store in 1879.
In December 1879, in a magazine called "Modewelt", Ms. Margaret discovered a pattern of toy elephants. She tried to make some for friends, and because they were quite popular Gradually, by 1883 she had developed a small collection of stuffed animals, which she added to the catalog of original clothing exhibits. Steiff was officially registered on March 3, 1893. Its turnover at that time was 40,000 marks, and its working partners had four employees. In 1897, with the assistance of her brother (Fritz), the number of employees increased to 10, and the annual turnover It was further increased to 90,000 yuan mark.
Steiff officially entered the exhibition in 1894, and the joining of Fritz's son Rihard opened a new page for Steiff. Based on his sketches at the Stuttgart Zoo, he designed a head-to-head exhibition. With these new products, he participated in the Lipzik Exhibition in the United States. At first, almost no one was interested. When the exhibition was about to end, a buyer from the United States, Hermann Berg, representing GeoBorgfledt&Co., was very interested in this innovative product and ordered 3,000 teddy bears on the spot. Unfortunately, these historic teddy bears had already Could not be found.
In 1902, due to an interesting story by President Roosevelt of the United States, the stuffed teddy bear had a real name "Teddy bear". This allowed the Steiff bears craze to quickly sweep across the United States. , and even spread this to the whole world. It manufactures nearly 1 million Steiff teddy bears with an annual output and sells them all over the world!
Teddy Bear - Product differentiation Steiff's registered trademark is the button on the left ear. Steiff's earliest logo was an S that was "transformed" from an elephant trunk. Later, due to competitors imitating it, Margaret suddenly used a button as the logo. It was originally just a blank button. In 1904, a carefully crafted pattern was added. At the same time, the button also symbolized that the bear had passed quality control. Interestingly, when Steiff applied for a patent in Germany, he did not apply directly for this button, but registered it with the text "Button in ear". If you look carefully, this line of text is also on the side label of the ear button. Having said that, they are also gold earrings, but they can also be divided into three types according to the labels:
Red characters on a white background, black characters on a white background and yellow labels indicate different meanings.
Yellow label: - Non-limited production: the product serial number is marked on the front, and the production material ingredients are marked on the back.
White background and red text label: - Limited production (for a certain purpose, theme, festival, country, allusion, commemorative bear limited edition launched by the company) The product serial number is marked on the front, and the limited production year is marked on the back , limited quantity issued, name of this bear.
General properties can be divided into two types:
One is designed and manufactured in cooperation with well-known companies. For example, in 1999, Golden Earrings collaborated with Toblerone to design a teddy bear. The teddy bear held Toblerone in its hand, and a commemorative bear launched in collaboration with Coca-Cola. In 2000, the latest teddy bear racing set was launched with Mercedes-Benz. , Disney cartoon characters and other well-known international brands.
The other is the agents of Golden Earrings in various regions. Each year, they can have special themes according to their country or region, such as: Hong Kong's Harmony Bear and Romantic Bear in 1997, and the Vienna Children's Chorus in 1999. The 500th anniversary commemorative bear, the British national commemorative bear in 2000, the Audrey Hepburn commemorative bear, the Dutch commemorative bear, etc. Although commemorative bears are produced in limited quantities, it does not mean that every model will increase in value or be worth collecting, because some are too commercial. Unless you have a special preference for the brand, there is no need to blindly collect every commemorative bear.
Label with black text on a white background: - Antique replica bear, limited production, with the product serial number marked on the front, and the year of limited production, limited quantity issued, and the name of the replica bear on the back
Replica bears are teddy bears with classic styles with gold earrings or teddy bears that have achieved high prices in the auction market. They are reproduced in 1:1 size. The workmanship and materials are exactly the same. The purpose of producing replica bears is to enjoy them. Bear fans who have missed out on bears that have reached sky-high prices or are very old. So for Europeans and Americans, maybe it's the kind of historical emotion that they have a special liking for replica bears. Although they don't look fancy, nor are they as fancy as commemorative bears, this is the original spirit of the golden earrings. .
Member-exclusive commemorative bear: - Only members who join the Steiff Club every year can purchase it
Steiff Club was established in Germany in 1992 and launched the first member commemorative bear, but at this time only Launched for Europe, in 1993 it expanded to all parts of the world and began to recruit members from all over the world and launched the annual member-exclusive purchase of commemorative bears. The number of member bears is determined based on the number of bears ordered by members before 12:00 pm on March 31 of each year. Annual production quantity, as long as you have a Steiff member commemorative bear subscription coupon---(Club coupon) Steiff is obliged to help you produce a teddy bear that belongs to the member, and with this coupon you can send it to anyone in the world An agent's purchases are not restricted by geographical or national boundaries. P.S There must be a STEIFF CLUB magnetic plaque hanging on your chest.
Teddy Bear - Historical Record Steiff has a historical background of more than 150 years and has always been favored by collectors around the world. The teddy bears produced every year cause a commotion and are snapped up. Repeatedly setting historical records at auctions has pushed Steiff to the pinnacle of success and firmly established the company as the world's leading teddy bear