Steiffs Product Numbering System

With the introduction of the first ever teddy bear as we know it in 1905 by Richard Steiff, a new numbering system was produced so that every Steiff teddy bear could be described and identified by it.

This numbering system was used until 1968 when a more modern method took over. European article numbers or EAN numbers are given to each Steiff bear, they are used in the Steiff catalogues and printed on the tag of each bear or animal.

Steiff bears since the 1980's have had 6 digit numbers due to the shear number of variations and designs that Steiff have made over the last 130 years. Steiff began with a 4 digit system that could accurately describe each teddy bear or animal. This number had a comma after the 4th digit followed by a number or 2 describing clothing variations or special information.

If we use Dante (pictured above) as an example, if he was a Steiff bear made pre 1950 he would be given the first number 5, as he is jointed. The second number would be 3, which relates to the material used, in this case 3 means mohair. The third and forth digits relate the size of the bear. Dante is 30cm so the third and fourth digit would be 3 and 0. So Dante would have had the EAN number "5330," in the middle of the 20th century. He would likely have had a couple of numbers after the comma such as 1 which indicates that he is stuffed. He would redoubtably been given a number for the bell around his neck as well. There would also be the letter G at the end which stands for Green as Dante is green tipped.

A Message to Steiff Friends and Collectors

It's that time of year again. The best time of year to be a Steiff collector, Steiff friend or even a member of staff at Steiff. With the coming of spring comes a new wave of Steiff products to excite imaginations all across the world. Steiff have worked long and hard, spent many tireless hours and put all of their love into a new collection of truly stunning collectors items.

A new range of replicas, limited editions and classics is due to be shipped to us at JustTeddies soon for the spring summer launch of Steiff bears. There are some wonderful new stories. Some stories are starting from the beginning and some are coming to the most beautiful ending.

In current times, values are gaining ever more in importance - but not just material values. Steiff products are of lasting value. They bring joy and love into the lives of those who receive them, convey affection and appreciation better than words ever could and often accompany their owners their entire lives.

Steiff classic bears are timeless, though new ones are made and old ones are sometimes dropped from the range, they are always special and are seen by collectors the world over to be an ever expanding range of products. There are so many classic teddy bears, with at least 5 added every year, that there are just too many for a collector to incorporate into his or her collection. for this reason collectors choose to collect from a given year of Steiff classics, or a certain colour or even just those that speak to them in a particularly special way. From browsing the JustTeddies site you can see that we love the 1909, 1905 and 1920 ranges of Steiff bears the most. We find that these years, along with a selection of 1906 bears are Steiffs best work from the early 20th century.

The most special bears from particular years are chosen to be made as replicas, sometimes this is because of an anniversary as in the black 1961 replica recently sold out by JustTeddies, others are chosen to be honoured due to their history. Only 3 replicas are made every year. All of which are available on JustTeddies. They will need to be pre-ordered, once pre-ordered your name will be attached to the order that we have placed with Steiff for the item to make sure that you are guaranteed to receive it.

For any information on any teddy bear seen on our website please call us at 01536 264611.

Steiff Purity Law

There are many things that make Steiff bears special. Their quality, their design and their history to name but a few. When it comes to safety, Steiff bears are unmatched.

Steiff stick to their motto "for our children, only the best is good enough" at all times. For this reason Steiff outlines 10 points for it's bears, animals and creations. These 10 points outline why Steiff bears are safe for children and why they are the correct choice for any loving parent who only wants the best for their children.

1. NO HARMFUL SUBSTANCES

Steiff voluntarily go far beyond the legally-required standards and even surpass them. Because Steiff are convinced that only animals which pose no health risk deserve the name Steiff.

2. NO ALLERGIC SUBSTANCES

Steiff have high expectations of their suppliers whom we oblige to adhere to the strict Steiff guidelines. They extensively examine all the basic materials before they are used in production.

3.NO HARMFUL DYES OR COLOURS

Steiff has voluntarily applied stricter (than required by law) regulations on all colours and dyes used in the production of soft toy animals. Children can put steiff products in their mouths without any misgivings.

4.HIGHEST-QUALITY MATERIALS

Only the finest natural fibres are used in the creation of Steiff bears. Steiff quality control staff personally inspect the factories and materials of all suppliers to make sure they meet the high standards necessary. Prestigious or well known manufacturers are used at all times, no risks are taken with the quality of Steiff bear materials.

5.LINT-FREE PLUSH

The plush of a Steiff bear or animal has always been something special. It is extraordinarily true-to-nature, soft, long-lasting and loses nearly no hair. Steiff use only uppers made of the highest quality.

6.NO HARMFUL FILLINGS

Steiff uses exclusively new and non harmful materials from the factory for the fillings of their bears and animals. These all comply with all European safety standards.

7.HIGHEST-QUALITY SEAM WORKMANSHIP

This is ensured by the standardised Steiff seam width as well as the high density of seams, which is typical for Steiff animals.

8.HYGIENIC PRODUCTION

For the production of our animals, Steiff pays careful attention to adhere to all hygiene and cleanliness standards. For example, that is why Steiff uses metal detectors during all stages of production.

9.INDEPENDENT INSPECTION

For decades Steiff has worked with independent institutions in order to ensure that Steiff quality control is unmatched by any other product. Steiff carry out over 12000 tests in a given year to make sure all products are acceptable.

10.UNRIVALLED QUALITY SINCE 1880

Throughout the various production steps, Steiff produce continuously environmentally-friendly products, as well as maintaining flawless quality and longevity. A Steiff bear or animal can survive a childhood and live with its owner through adulthood.

About the Steiff Museum

COME ON COME IN - TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF STEIFF

Have you ever been eye to eye with a life-sized polar bear, giraffe or elephant? Or been on an exciting safari all over a world of soft toy animals? Never? Then it's about time!

Steiffs adventure museum in Giengen, Germany is the perfect place for any soft toy safari, voyage of discovery, or just to experience the most detailed, numerous and varied collection of soft toy animals ever created. There's even a replica of Mararette steiffs sewing room, to give all Steiff fans an idea of how this illustrious company started.

There is nothing nicer than watching children when they are enthralled. When they discover a new a fascinating world of Steiff bears and Steiff animals. Only at the Steiff museum can you see Steiff animals from all over the world.

Across the world there are places that have their own magic. They optimise tradition and historical importance. The Steiff museum is one of these special places. Visitor are sent on a travel through time; here, the creative spirit of Steiffs founder Margarete becomes wonderfully alive a tangible. Only at the Steiff museum can you look over the shoulder of the moving and turbulent history of the Steiff company in all its wonderful traditions and watch production demonstrations to experience the beautiful and extraordinary creations of today and tomorrow.

Saying Goodbye to Replica 1961

JustTeddies would like to bid farewell to one of our favourite bears of last year.

The last Steiff 1961 replica bear sold over the weekend. We are sorry to see him go but we are confident that he will be loved for generations.

This Steiff bear was an example of just how amazing Steiff products are. His build quality was unmatched, his fur was beautifully soft and his paws and feet were spectacular in tone.

At JustTeddies we are privileged to be able to offer all types of Steiff bears for sale, so we have a new replica bear for 2011. She is a 1925 green replica.

For all the latest limited edition bears released from Steiff please visit us at www.JustTeddies.co.uk.

The Creation of a Steiff Animal Part 1

The Creation of a Steiff Animal

Here at JustTeddies we are dedicated to telling the story of Steiff, weather its the biography of Margaret Steiff (founder), Richard Steiff (created the first teddy bear) or information as to how the magic of Steiff happens. This page is the latter.

This page gives an outline of how a Steiff animal is made.

Over 130 years ago in 1880, Margarete Steiff created the first ever soft toy animal, the first ever Steiff animal. She had noticed a pattern for an elephant in the magazine Modenwelt. The materials needed were felt, two 10cm long white bone threading needles, fleece, two black porcelain buttons, a little silk thread and a piece of colourful material. Needles and scissors were her only tools.

The Steiff production factory today is a very different mechanism all together in modern times. The production process used highly precise and advantaced machinery, the staff who number in the thousands are a completely organised in order to achieve maximum efficiency.

Though the production process may have changed, Steiff remains dedicated to the unmatched quality that has seen its name become the most recognised worldwide for soft toys. Steiff has never wavered from its motto "for children, only the best is good enough".

Over the past 130 years millions of children have decided to give Steiff animals a loving home and a friend for life.

Research and Development

At the forefront of every Steiff bear, animal or accessory is the design itself. This fundamental principal has not changed in 130 years. Richard Steiff often visited Stuttgart's Nill Zoo, this was the only way to study animals and get the appropriate real-life detail necessary, at the time.

Today, Steiff designers travel as far as Kenya in order to study animals in their natural habitat in order to make the lifelike soft toy animals.

Once a design has been created materials must be chosen. Steiff are constantly pushing the boundaries of material design hence new styles of materials must be manufactured especially for production of a single item in some cases. Once all the necessary materials are available the prototype department produces a sample. This business process has also not changed in over 130 years.

Many Samples are made, using slightly different techniques and/ or interpreting the designs in different ways. The designer chooses a sample once they are satisfied and it is prepared for presentation to a committee of Steiff staff from various departments. All must approve for the product to go into production. Once the product is approved the final stage involves the development team, who must decide if they can effectively market this bear or animal. For example; does it use a new material? Is it created in a new way? does it represent a new style? etc.

If the development department is satisfied with the sample it is called a "hand-sample". It is given the "button in ear" as an official Steiff product and the sample ear tag denoting its status. When Steiff first began hand samples were given their own button or "Musterknopf" instead of a Steiff button. If one were to procure such a sample many years after its manufacture it would be worth a small fortune.

Up to ten identical copies of this hand sample are made, for various departments. These are given a tag with the words "type same" on it. These are used in various stage of the production as models. Then, just as 100 years ago, patterns are created. This was of course done tediously by hand taking hours back in 1890 but in modern times precision computer software creates the patterns to an incredible accuracy.

Once all the the equipment and materials are available in the Steiff factory. Even today this process takes months before production finally starts.

Production

Production begins with cutting. As materials differ in density strength and elasticity so must the cutting techniques differ. Mohair for example has a long pile which might get damaged by some industrial machines so it is cut. Depending on the length of the mohair either manual or electrically assisted scissors are used. This is not a simple process as the weave of the mohair must not be damaged or bald spots can appear later in production.

Felt and velvet on the other hand are much easier materials to work with as they can simply be stamped out.

Obviously when cutting large fabrics, extensive and clear stencil marks must be imprinted onto the material. This is done using a metal plate to mark on the material all the necessary contours of the shapes required.

Once all of the parts for a piece are laid out they must be sewn together. Every Steiff bear is individually sewn at a sewing machine. Steiff bears are sewn "inside out" in order not to show the seams. this is much more complicated than it may seem. The pile must be carefully stroked into the seam while sewing.

If you can imagine that Steiff produces millions of soft toy animals and teddy bears each year. The speed at which the staff are able to create the bears is simply remarkable. Today, as 100 years ago, nothing is left to chance. Each step in the production stage is carefully planned and documented. This ensures quality control. Steiff bears are sewn to the same standards as a designer fur coat.

Once all the parts have been sewn, they are turned the right way round rather like a sock though we are sure you can imagine that the smaller the part the more difficult this task becomes.

In modern times the insides of the Steiff soft toy animals are filled with synthetic filling that is washable and hygienic in every circumstance. Some, the Steiff replica bears are still filled with excelsior, a wood wool originally used to stuff the bears when they were first produced all those years ago (pre 1950). The Steiff bears receive their voices at the same time as they are filled. The voice box is inserted into the middle of the bears body surrounded by the filling so that it cannot be seen or felt from the outside.

After the stuffing process has been completed the bear or animal is put together piece by piece and the final seams are sewn shut. Jointed bears have hard cardboard discs at the points to be jointed. Two interlocking points are joined with a split pin, in this way the bear or animals limbs and head can bee attached to the main body of the piece yet still move independently. The jointing techniques were first adopted for the "cute little bear" (roughly translated) range that began over 100 years ago.

The most important features of a bears expression are its nose, eyes and mouth. For this reason Steiff bears are hand stitched in these areas to give the precision necessary to create the perfect expression. Even the glass eyes are hand threaded into each Steiff bear.

The finishing touches are all that remains, these are applied by experts, with a sturdy hand and years of experience these staff members use air brushing to add highlights and shading to the finished bear. This is perhaps the most important stage of the process as one slip can ruin a bear.

Finally bells, bows, ribbons etc are all added to the finished bear. It is scrutinised by the quality control department and given a brushing down to get rid of any unwanted fluff.

Once this is completed the bear is given its "button in ear" marking it forever as a Steiff bear. A member of an elite family that grows every year.

For more information please feel free to contact us at www.justteddies.co.uk.

Margarete Steiff, a Short Biography Part 1

Appolonia Margarete Steiff was born in Giengen Germany on the 24th July 1847. She was the third child in a family with four children. The Steiff family consisted of the two parents, Margaretes two older sisters and her younger brother.

Margarete Steiffs father, Friedrich Steiff was a master builder in Giengen and her mother Maria Margarete Steiff, ran the household and supported her husband in his his work.

Margarete Steiff contracted polio at just 18 months old, confining her to wheelchair for the rest of her life. This is and was of course a terrible tragedy for anyone to endure, especially in the 19th century. this meant that Margarete Steiff mother would have to care for her for the rest of her life. Margarete would never have been able to take on the role of housewife and mother and at this time in history, seemed to have no prospects for the future.

The apparently helpless margarete Steiff had other ideas. She had a very cheerful and positive outlook on life, this made her very popular. She always wanted to be involved with in any outdoor activities whatever the weather and was always asking friends and family to carry her outside even during winter months.

Margarete Steiffs family was very close and loving, she was able to stay with various family members and even neighbours throughout the year in order to give her immediate family a break from her care.

When the time came for Margarete Steiff to start school, her family became very concerned that the organisation needed at the time to send such a disabled person to school would make it impossible for Margarete to get a proper education. To their delight this turned out to be much more simple than they had feared due to the amazing community spirit in Giengen, a quality which Steiff members credit to this day. Margarete Steiff was accompanied by neighbour children to school as well as her sisters. A family friend who lived near her school would carry young Margarete up the school steps.

Though her work was above average, Margarete Steiff, like most children spent her free time playing with other children wherever possible. As an extremely creative person she spent hour designing games or planning playful activities so that she could take part.

Margarete Steiff very quickly unearthed her most important natural gift as this early time in her childhood. She learned how to talk to people in a way that made them want to do what she wanted.

Margarete Steiff looked after young children while their mothers work at work in order to help re-pay all the people who had helped her throughout her life. She was hard working and unspoiled.

Margarete Steiff underwent unsuccessful surgery on her legs when she was under 10 years old. This was a traumatic experience but one that made her mature as a person. It was after her recovery that she expressed her wish to attend sewing school. Friedrich Steiff was initially against the idea, afraid that she would fail and that this would add to the disappointment of the unsuccessful operation. Despite this the youngest girl in the Steiff family asserted herself and show her parents that they had once again underestimated her ability.

Although at first it too Margarete Steiff a long time to finish her work, she also had to ask for help from the other Steiff women to complete all of it in time, she became a brilliant seamstress after a few years.

Keen to overcome her limitations and broaden her horizons Margarete Steiff also learned to play the zither, a guitar-like instrument where the strings do not extend beyond the sounding box. She became able to give lessons on the use of this instrument in later years.

At the age of 17 Margarete was forced to come to terms with the fact that her legs would never work and that she could never recover from the illness that had plagued her childhood. this focussed her on a career in sewing, one that she pursued with absolute determination. In 1874 Friedrich Steiff converted the ground floor of their house, converting the study into a dressmakers workshop.

together with her sisters Marie and Pauline Steiff, Margarete began to perform sewing work at home. the workshop became well known in Giengen and the three young Steiff ladies became the first people in the town to buy their own sewing machine.

The list of customers for Steiff dresses became longer and longer. Although Margarete made all types of dresses, she much preferred making children's clothing.