Proto-friends
Teddy bears and by extension plush animals are so engraved in our culture it seems that we were never without them. A child automatically must have at least one favourite stuffed friend it’s practically a childhood constant. A soft friend dulls the rough edges of life, a world without our cotton companions seems rather grim. A predecessor to stuffed toys originated in ancient Egypt where they would carve dolls of people and animals out of wood and clay. These toys have been found to date back to 1100 BCE. A more direct predecessor to stuffed animals are rag dolls! Ragdolls are dolls made from pieces of clothes; the oldest rag dolls were once again found in Egypt around the 1st to 5th century. They were inexpensive to make, making them accessible to all social classes. When mass production of dyed fabric became more common in 1830, rag dolls became even more accessible. They were used as both an object for playing and a tool for education. Children were encouraged to repair their dolls themselves and make new clothes, teaching children how to both sew and nurture.
How Elephants Changed our Childhoods
Appolonia Margarette Steiff is the woman often credited to be the creator of the first stuffed animals. Steiff was born on July 24th 1847 in Giengen an der Brenz, a town in Germany. When Steiff was just 18 months old, tragedy struck. She fell ill with polio, which left her completely paralyzed in her left leg, and restricted use of both her right leg and right foot. Although her family supported therapy and surgeries nothing helped Stiff’s mobility issues. At age 17 Steiff went to sewing school. By 1877, Steiff became a local tailor in her studio at home. On a faithful day Steiff found a cloth elephant pattern in a magazine, inspired by this she made some plush elephants and sold a few as a hobby. They were an instant hit with children and Steiff added more animals that she’d sew. Margarete Steiff Toy Company was then founded in 1880.
The Hunt for Teddy
Almost instantaneously, In 1902, a toymaker and Russian immigrant Morris Michtom saw a political cartoon about how President Theodore Roosevelt fought verbally against his hunting team on killing a bear cub. Teddy famously showed compassion to the cub when no one would. This political cartoon inspired Michtom to make the first teddy bear! The name teddy bear originates from Theodore Roosevelt himself.
References
History of the steiff teddy bear. Lili on the Loose. (2016, December 11). Retrieved November 18, 2021, from https://liliontheloose.com/2016/03/19/history-of-the-steiff-teddy-bear/.
Pim RazenbergContent creator Pim Razenberg is an experienced traveller who’s been roaming the planet for many years. After a stint in the Dutch film industry. (2021, June 14). Where do stuffed animals come from? The Bite-Sized Backpacker. Retrieved November 18, 2021, from https://www.thebitesizedbackpacker.com/stuffed-animals/where-do-stuffed-animals-come-from/.
Pitocco, J. (n.d.). The fascinating story of Margarete Steiff, 1847 – 1909. Steiff USA Online Shop. Retrieved November 18, 2021, from https://www.steiffusa.com/press-releases/the-fascinating-story-of-margarete-steiff-1847-1909/.