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.

Steiff Teddy Bear Replicas

Replicas - A past to touch, experience and love.

It is a fascination which has already made history. A fascination of the here and now - and a fascination with which each and every Steiff friend and Steiff collector is continued into the future: the fascination of Steiff replicas. Each and every Steiff stuffed animal and teddy bear has its very own personality, which has its very own story behind it. Steiff bears are born to be part of a story to be shared with their owner.

Each Steiff teddy bear of the limited replica edition is a fascinating entity, an entity which brings the flair of the past into the now: because each replica teddy bear, from head to paw, fibre for fibre, seam for seam is a faithful recreation of the very first teddy bear from the very first day. The Steiff teddy bear is lovingly hand made and decorated with traditional tools and in accordance with the original design - as only in this way can the sort of perfection Steiff strives for be possible.

When you make your acquaintance with the new Steiff replicas, you will see it and experience it: these Steiff bears are very special indeed. Unique. Charming. With strong character. Unmistakable and unbelievably lovable. These superlatives are what replicas of today have in common with their likeness from the past.

For that reason, it is not surprising that the most senior teddy bear among the teddy bears, who himself is more than one hundred years old, should be so proud of the Steiff family of replica teddy beras. A big family of Steiff bears that, from year to year, grows ever so slightly. Steiff replicas are simply the most perfect Steiff bears, happiness and satisfaction is guaranteed.

Every single Steiff replica teddy bear has a black and white "button in ear", so Steiff friends and Steiff collectors can always know which bears to look for.

New Steiff Limited Edition text

LIMITED EDITIONS - Particularly beautiful. Particularly rare.

Welcome! the Steiff animals from the limited editions welcome you to the club of rarities and special beauties. How do they become members of this exclusive circle?

Well, they must have a very distinct, striking personality, these warm, bright and honest eyes, with a penchant for making themselves scarce - and remaining so.

And, the but not least, they must radiate something incomparable. This comes naturally to the Steiff animals and teddy bears of the limited editions: because as real rarities from the Steiff factory, every animal is also a representative of a historical event or a certain era, or devotes itself completely to a certain occasion or anniversary. Every Steiff limited edition impresses with their love for detail, lovingly nostalgic look back to things long forgotten or to a very special moment full of feeling. Can there be a more beautiful way of keeping touching memories alive?

That's why Steiff are also a little proud that the "limited" attribute of their animals from the Steiff factory also always makes them "especially desirable" for Steiff friends and collectors. The animals from the Steiff worldwise limited special editions always find new friends, owners and a new home particularly fast.

You will get to know the members of this Steiff "Elite Club" a little closer on our "Steiff limited editions" page here at JustTeddies. And should you, while browsing this page, have that magical feeling of "love at first sight" for an animal, you should follow your impulse spontaneously and quickly show your new favourite animal the way to his new home.

Because one thing is certain: you won't be alone in wanting to own one of these amazing Steiff limited edition bears.

Steiff Bears Finally out of China!

In 2008 Steiff teddy bears decided to slowly repatriate the production of their teddy bears from china back to Germany.

The homecoming of Steiff bears, famous for their "button in ear" comes 6 years after Steiff decided to join the trend of manufacturing in China.

In talking to the head of Steiff sales in the UK JustTeddies have learned that Steiff will not put a price on reputation or on quality.

Steiff products being made in China had dampened Steiffs seemingly untouchable reputation as the worlds highest quality teddy bear maker.

Interestingly quality is not the only problem that Steiff had over in China, employee loyalty was also questionable. This was noticed because it can take up to 3 years to train someone to manufacture to Steiff quality and efficiency standards. The main problem in China is that the work force moves much more than in the UK or Germany, workers often simply move jobs a couple of times a year depending on which factory is paying the highest wages at the time. This is clearly unacceptable when producing high quality Steiff products.

Another problem is the Steiff products are targeted for counterfeiting, a serious problem for whom the main culprit is China.

We should state that it was only ever the baby and infant range of Steiff that was produced in China for example the "My First Steiff" seen above. Limited edition Steiff bears, classic Steiff bears and Steiff animals have always been made in Germany.

At JustTeddies we have also found that their will be new designs to the Steiff baby range items once manufacturing begins in Germany again.

100 Years of "Button in ear"

Margarete Steiff introduction

The story of Margarete Steiff is filled with fairytale quality. Margarete contracted polio when she was just 18 months old, which meant that she would spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. However, this spirited and courageous young lady took her life into her own hands - not allowing a disability to divert her. She learnt sewing and tailoring and soon became a very skilled seamstress. She started up her own small business, initially making ladies' and children's clothing. Little did she know, when she was working on a little fabric elephant to be used as a pincushion, that she was laying the foundation stone for the international company of the future - Margarete Steiff GmbH. Steiff had been born.

Richard Steiff, nephew of Margarete, joined his aunt's company in 1897. He was to become, after his aunt, the second most influential figure in the Toy Industry and the most important figure in the history of the Teddy bear. In 1902 Richard Steiff designed the very first jointed Teddy bear, a bear gifted with movement and a bear that would take the world by storm. Thus, the company name became synonymous with high-quality soft toy animals the world over. The first teddy bear was made from cuddly soft plush, the same material that many of the "Cosy Range" teddy bears are made from to this day.

Founded in 1880, Margarete Steiff GmbH has pursued excellence with determination, fuelled by their guiding principle "Only the best is good enough for our children".

From humble beginnings the enterprise blossomed into the world's most famous soft toy company. From Japan to America the word Steiff is synonymous with excellence.

Today the company embraces its history, and in doing so embraces innovation, imagination and perfection. Proud of our heritage yet forward-looking and venturesome, Steiff never stops chasing dreams.

The company's extraordinary and unequalled ability in bringing comfort and companionship to millions provides the perfect reason to celebrate a million occasions.

The birth of a trademark

100 years of "Button in Ear"

To protect Steiff products from imitation and plagiarism, Franz Steiff, Margarete's nephew, invented the legendary "Button in Ear" in 1904, one of the first trademarks of the 20th century.

Since 1 November 1904, therefore, every Steiff animal has sported the characteristic button in the left ear, which makes the products unmistakeable and unique.

To prevent imitation, the term "Button in Ear" was also registered as an official trademark on 20 December 1904, and was given legal protection on 13 May 1905.

Thanks to this brilliant idea of Franz Steiff's, the Steiff "Button in Ear" brand has developed to become one of the world's oldest and most well-known brands.

100 years of 'button in ear'

In 1902, Steiff invented the Teddy bear and presented him to the public at the Leipzig Trade Fair in 1903. It didn't take long for the Steiff Teddy bear to become most children's favorite toy and many adults fell in love with it, too.

With this tremendous success, many competitors started to copy Steiff products. Consequently, Steiff had to find a way to distinguish their creations from its competitors. There was a general agreement that a company trademark was needed, that had to be permanently attached to the products.

Up until this point in time little cardboard tags were used, fastened to the body or the clothing of animals and dolls showing an elephant with a trunk raised in the shape of an "S" for Steiff. As these labels could be torn off without difficulty, Franz Steiff, one of Margarete Steiff's nephews, wanted a more permanent trademark and invented the "Button in Ear".

The elephant button!

After several alternatives had been tested, a metal button embossed with the elephant having an S-shaped trunk was finally chosen and attached to the left ear of every product. The new trademark was born and the "Button in Ear" has been firmly fixed to all Steiff products since November 1, 1904. An application for registration of the "Button in Ear" trademark was submitted on December 20, 1904 and the registration was confirmed in writing on May 13, 1905.

The metal button with the elephant design was only used in 1904 and 1905 and was thereafter replaced by blank buttons and buttons with the word "Steiff". As the elephant button was in use for such a short time only, items bearing this trademark are considered a great rarity today.

PLEASE NOTE, THE BEAR AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN HAS THIS ELEPHANT BUTTON IN EAR, THERE IS ONLY 1 LEFT.

Steiff Limited Edition Bears

At JustTeddies we pride ourselves on our limited edition teddy bear collection. whether they are classic teddy bears, replica teddy bears or masterpiece animals as long as they are limited JustTeddies will endeavour to stock them.

Limited edition teddy bears have either a white and black or a white and red tag in the ear. On the back of their tag you can see their EAN (European article number) and their limited edition number e.g. 0001 of 1500.

Limited edition Steiff teddy bears are by their very nature a rare product. Several are as low as 1500 pieces for the entire world, in this case there maybe only 200 in the UK. Owning one of these Steiff limited editions is therefore very impressive.

As well as having limited edition bears and animals Steiff also produces "Replica" bears which are limited in the same way that other limited editions are but are made to the exact specifications as a previous model. For example the black Steiff bear at the top of this post is a replica teddy bear of 1961. Therefore it is identical down the tools used in its manufacture as the bear was in 1961. There are also 1961 models available worldwide making replicas some of the rarest bears.

Yesterdays Great Steiff bear News!!

Yesterdays great sales news!

These 2 lovely Steiff Teddy Bears were really good sellers yesterday. Our customers noticed that we had these bears in stock and decided that they were the perfect Steiff additions for their homes.

Lizzy teddy bear seen at the top of this entry is a cosy bear that is great for kids. Customers yesterday noted that their little girls would would love the fact that Lizzy is 40cm and part of the JustTeddies cosy range. She is just £39.95 on JustTeddies which is a great price for a Steiff teddy bear of this size. She of course features the Steiff "Button in ear" to prove her authenticity.

The bear towards the bottom of this entry is simply called Classic teddy bear russet. He is fully jointed and one of the most popular colour of bear available. The real advantage of this Steiff bear is that despite being fully jointed, he is not hard or solid. By this we mean that he is cuddly despite being a classic teddy bear made from the quality components expected from the worlds premium teddy bear brand.

Classic teddy bear russet is only 89.95 on www.JustTeddies.co.uk at the moment so make sure to get him quick before he sells out.

At JustTeddies we are really looking forward to the new Steiff range due to hit shelves from the 3rd of February. Though we have seen all the new bears, and there are some real stunners, we are glad that we ordered enough limited edition Steiff bears last year so that we can make 2010 limited edition bears available for our customers aswell. 2010 was a great year for Steiff teddy bears, limited editions were made using new techniques and new mohair colours. Edward teddy bear for example has golden green mohair, a truly amazing colour that gives the impression and feel of an antique bear without any of the downsides.

For all your Steiff teddy bear needs, visit www.justteddies.co.uk.

Steiffs most popular animal!

The Mungo Meerkat is the most popular Steiff animal teddy bear. The EAN number is 071249, this number will go down in Steiff history due to the tremendous popularity of this bear.

At Justteddies we check the stock of Mungo teddy bears every day to make sure we keep him in stock.

We have plenty of stock at the moment of this best selling Steiff teddy bear animal so all orders can be fulfilled.

Remember there are no Steiff bears being launched on the 3rd of February so don't forget to check out the website regularly for new exciting Steiff teddy bears.

At JustTeddies we would like to say goodbye to the Steiff Little Gem. The First ever UK exclusive Steiff teddy bear with the Swarovski crystal "button in ear", she will be sorely missed.

Fear not if you haven't managed to get your Little gem because a new Steiff teddy bear range is going on sale at JustTeddies on the 3rd of February and there maybe a 2011 Swarovski teddy bear limited edition.

Great weekend sales

At JustTeddies we realise that our collectors are looking for something different, Something special, something rare.

One lucky customer found our site at the weekend and purchased our last Little Gem and Flurrie Swarovski bears.

These two bears go great together and will be an integral part of any Steiff/Swarovski collaboration collection.

Because Flurrie in particular was such a popular Steiff teddy bear we will do our best to obtain more of her.

Also there maybe a new Steiff Swarovski teddy bear for 2011 that we may have ordered so if you interested in Steiff teddy bears with crystal "button in ears" look no further than JustTeddies.

JustTeddies, for the UK's best sellection of limited edition teddy bears.

Todays great sales!

A lovely lady purchased a Steiff limited edition Edward teddy bear from us at JustTeddies.

Edward is one of the most lovely steiff teddy bears available, his picture really doesn't do him justice.

For any advice or for which Steiff bears we recommend please dont hesitate to give us a call or fill in the contact us form.

We will be back tomorrow with another update.

We're back!! New limited editions ordered!

Greetings all Steiff followers and collectors.

We at Justteddies are very sorry that we have haven't posted in such a long time.

We are going to make it up to all our followers by bringing you breaking news about all the new Steiff limited edition bears that are due to come into stock over the next 3 months.

Every year just before the Nuremberg toy fair (Thursday the 3rd of February) the best Steiff sellers in the UK are given the option to order their Spring limited edition Steiff teddy bears.

We had a visit yesterday from the head of Steiff sales in the UK and were delighted to be considered among this elite group of Steiff sellers.

We looked in amazement at all the new teddy bears and limited editions and ordered more than ever before to have the best possible selection on the internet.

We will keep you notified as soon as new stock comes in but rest assured that there are some amazing new limited editions on the way including a bright green replica and a baby safe mohair bear. This is becoming the most exciting year for Steiff in a long time and we at JustTeddies are very happy to be a part of it.

If anyone has any questions about any Steiff bears or items please give us a call on 01536 264611 or email us at info@justteddies.co.uk.

We will try our best to update this blog every day.