Doll News Summer 2015 - (Page 44)
Steiff's Timeless
and Beloved
"Teddy Baby" Bears
by Rebekah Kaufman
Here is a collection
of circa 1929 earliest
and original Steiff
Teddy Babies.
Oh baby! That is what
many doll and toy enthusiasts say
when they first lay eyes on Steiff's
delightful and totally irresistible "Teddy
Baby" bears. The Steiff Company has
produced thousands of Teddy bear designs
and variations since introducing the world
to the five ways jointed Teddy bear as
we know him today in 1902. Some
models were designed to resemble
life-like bears from nature, while
others were manufactured as soft
toy "friends for life" for babies
and toddlers. Steiff's Teddy Baby
pattern, launched in the 1920s, is
quite distinctive and is based on
cultural preferences of the time,
as well as company directives.
Let's take a look at this legacy design
and see why it remains a collector's favorite
almost nine decades after its introduction.
The Teddy Baby pattern debuted in 1929 - a very creative,
prolific period at Steiff when several of the company's most
recognizable and classic designs were also introduced. Items
designed and produced during the mid-1920s through early
1930s tended to be very childlike, innocent looking, and fluffy
and feminine. Models often had oversized eyes, plump bodies
and limbs, and were made in bright colors and/or had colorful
accessories.
This was the case for two key reasons. The first was the
popular culture of the time. Steiff was responding to the playful
nature of the "roaring twenties," when it was not uncommon for
44
SUMMER 2015
a young woman to carry a Teddy bear or other attractive stuffed
toys under her arm as a fashion accessory. The second was a
series of directives from Richard Steiff, a creative director at
the company and the nephew of company founder Margarete
Steiff. Writing from America in 1925, he initially observed,
"...Our Teddies, in the show room here in New York, appear
colorless, sober, and insipid. I feel inclined to decorate all the
Teddies we have left with huge, colorful silk ribbons; only then
can we ask a slightly higher price." Then, in 1927, he requested
that the company produce new toy designs with "smiling faces
which come alive." He went on to insist that Steiff launch
new products with color, appeal, levity, and novelty - to stay
competitive and grow market share worldwide. Thus, Teddy
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Doll News Summer 2015
From the Editor
UFDC Offi cers and Regional Directors
President’s Message
Conference Calendar
A Warm Welcome to Our Newest Members / Getting to Know You – The UFDC Club President’s Survey
Fundraising Committee Report
The Marvelous Magical Betsy McCall
Betsy Original Paper Doll
The Story behind UFDC’s Emblem – Miss Unity
Steiff ’s Timeless and Beloved “Teddy Baby” Bears
Native Alaskan Dolls
Russian Stockinette Dolls
The Mark Farmer Company Story
Dress Up Fun with Betsy McCall, a Game
Tammy – The Doll You Love To Dress
The Care of An American Icon
A Study in Aesthetics: Considering the Uncanny Doll
Maternal Love – The Dolls of Anne Myatt
Patti Playpal – A Big Doll for a Little Girl
Who Dressed Betsy McCall
Heavens to Betsy!
UFDC Region 14 Conference – Golden Memories
Club Notes
Reviewing Resources
In Our Memories
Donations
UFDC Nominating Process – 2016 Election Information for Regional Directors
MAL Form
News & Notes
Doll News Summer 2015
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