Archive for September, 2009
Emil Bears – Teddy Bear, History, Information
Emil Toys or Emil Pty Ltd. made teddy bears from the mid 1930′s to the 1970′s in and around Melbourne, Australia. Early Emil teddy bears were made from imported mohair, with glass eyes and either a jointed or stiff neck. The paw pads were oil cloth, the front paws are pointed and the filling was a mixture of kapok and excelsior. Emil bears usually had black square noses and shiny Rexine pads. Some Emil bears had black claws. In the 1960′s, the quality deteriorated somewhat with the bears now having stiff necks, plastic eyes and paw pads made of white vinyl. They had either satin or white cloth labels that were usually sewn into a back or side seam and had “Emil Toys” or “Emil Toys Made In Australia” written in script, with a bear sitting, clutching the upright of the capital “E,” or a teddy sitting on the “E,” and “Made in Australia” printed in blue.
Berlex Bears – Teddy Bear, History, Information
Berlex Toys is a Melbourne company founded by Lex Bertrand that produced bears from the 1930′s to the 1970′s. Common features of Berlex teddy bears include luxuriant mohair, big well shaped body and limbs, triangular stitched noses and vinyl paw pads. Labels have either “Berlex,” in script, with “Melbourne” beneath and “Made in Australia” on the reverse, or simply “Berlex Melbourne” printed in capital letters.
Verna Bears – Teddy Bear, History, Information
The Verna Toy Company or Verna Toys was established in Victoria by Eve Barnett in 1941. In 1948 the company changed hands and started to make teddy bears under the ownership of Arthur Eaton. Bears before the 1960′s were mohair plush and fully jointed, filled with excelsior and traditional in shape. Black felt noses were a common feature of Verna Bears as well as blunt muzzles. From the 1960′s foam rubber was used as filling and bears had plastic safety eyes and vinyl pads. In the 1980′s, embroidered labels were replaced by printed labels.
Lindee Bears – Teddy Bear, History, Information
Lindee Bears were made in Sydney, N.S.W. from 1944 to 1976. The name came from a pet name that was used for Mr. and Mrs. Lindenberg. They were made of English mohair, both fully jointed and unjointed, with glass eyes and brown vinyl paw pads. They were labeled with a printed cloth tag bearing a reclining fawn, with the words “Lindee Toys the Prestige Name in Soft Toys,” sewn into the seam of the paw pad. Lindee teddy bears have large noses and mouths sewn in black, some with exaggerated black claws. Lindee bears were made until the company went bankrupt in 1976.
Celtic Toys Bears – Teddy Bear, History, Information
Celtic Toys was started in 1965 when Hans Weberpals left Gaeltarra Eireann and started the company with a partner. They produced teddy bears but also other products like anoraks to keep the company afloat. In 1975 the company closed down but reopened in 1978 making children’s clothing. The bears made at the time were made from synthetic fibers, including their noses and eyes. The bears are unjointed and had typical Irish characteristics like short limbs, dual color bodies and wide apart ears.
O’Lis Bears – Teddy Bear, History, Information
O’Lis is a toy manufacturer in France but also produced teddy bears in the 1950′s. One of the more famous O’Lis bears is Winnie the Pooh made for Walt Disney.
Jan Jac Bears – Teddy Bear, History, Information
Jan Jac was a teddy bear manufacturer based in Paris, France in the 1950′s. Typical Jan Jac bears had short arms, a square face, red felt tongues and long, shaggy mohair.
Emile Thiennot Bears – Teddy Bear, History, Information
Emile Thiennot used to work for Marcel Pintel but set up his own toy manufacturing company in 1919 out of Piney selling bears and other stuffed animals under the name Le Jouet Champenois. In 1920 he won a medal for one of his teddy bears at a competition in France. In 1957 the firm changed its name to Creation Tieno and closed down in January 1993. Emile Thiennot made teddy bears mainly of synthetic plush and were designed for young babies and also made replicas of early designs.
Steiff Bears – Teddy Bear, History, Information
Steiff, one of the most famous makers of bears, was started in Germany in 1877 by Margarete Steiff. Crippled with polio and confined to a wheelchair, she made stuffed toys with her nephew Richard, using felt left over from her uncle’s fabric factory. The first bears were based on sketches he had drawn from his visits to Stuttgart Zoo. The very first bear, made in 1902, was a 55 PB with very primitive joints attached by a string. It was presented at the Spring Fair in Leipzig in 1903 and a buyer from George Borgfeldt and Co., a major New York importer, placed a sizable order. In 1904, an improved bear, registered as Bar 35 PB, was introduced. It was smaller in size with improved joints and light mohair plush. It was very successful with 12,000 being sold that year. Later in 1904, the 28 PB, a smaller version of the 35 PB was introduced with newly patented metal rod joints and then in 1905 the very successful 35 PAB was introduced.
In the early years, every seventh bear made by Steiff had a seam down the middle of it’s head to make economical use of the fabric they had.
Two of the most rare and desirable colors of mohair for Steiff bears are white and cinnamon.
Characteristics Of Steiff Bears
Early Bears
Long arms
Hand sewn seam down the stomach
Steiff Teddy Bears
PB Rod Bear – Held together by metal rods with tightly packed wood wool and kapok stuffing.
PAB Bear – Made with cardboard joints and stuffed with kapok and excelsior.
Muzzled Bear – Very rare bear based on performing bears that toured circuses in Europe and the United States.
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Alfa Paris Bears – Teddy Bear, History, Information
Alfa or Article de Luxe Fabrication Artisande was founded in 1934 and produced it’s first bears in 1936. They are French bears that were very popular for the next 40 years.
Alfa Paris teddy bears have “Alfa” printed underneath the right foot. They have big smiles, most are dressed, with some wearing even underwear and shoes. They are best known for their unjointed bears dressed as little girls or boys. The body and arms are made of fabric with the visible parts made of mohair. Their clothes are usually made of gingham or dotted material with matching shoes. After WWII, synthetic materials replaced mohair and the eyes were made by plastic instead of glass.
