A History of Modern Stuffed Animals
From the enormous choice of stuffed animals on the market today you would believe that the stuffed animal craze has been happening for generations.However the serge in popularity of stuffed animals only started in the late 1800's to early 1900's because of the stuffed bear. Most mass-produced stuffed animals have only been available since the early 1950's.
Today, nearly every youngster has a stuffed animal they consider one of their best friends. Many children have several, maybe even dozens upon dozens of stuffed animals! Although most stuffed animals are designed to be a comforting friend for children, many lines of stuffed animals have become collectable and can go up in value over the years. This had made them entertaining and collectable for adults as well.
The stuffed animal craze began in the us with the Teddy Bear named after president Teddy Roosevelt and an infamous hunting trip he made.
One of the first companies to sell stuffed animals was Steiff. Started by Margerete Steiff as a hobby in the late 1800's they have become one of the premier manufacturers of high quality stuffed bears. Steiff now produces well over one million stuffed animals a year. You'll know a Steiff when you see it by the signature "button" ear.
Since then lots of other companies have started making stuffed animals of numerous kinds from dogs, cats and horses, to plush dolls, and even sock monkeys. In addition to traditional stuffed animals, you'll now see dinosaurs, dragons, unicorns, monsters, even microbes are now on the scene.
One of many leading manufacturers of stuffed animals in the US is GUND. GUND was founded by German immigrant Adolph Gund in Norwalk, Connecticut in 1898. GUND was among the first companies to design and produce teddy bears in the early 1900's. Today, the company manufactures a comprehensive assortment of unique characters and licensed plush under the GUND, GUNDbaby and GUNDKids brands.
Other United states companies making stuffed animals are Douglas Cuddle Company which is a family owned and operated business since 1956. Douglas produces realistic looking stuffed animals and many other unique designs. Ty Stuffed animals were started by Ty Warner in 1983 and is the creator of Beanie Babies. Beanie Babies started showing up in stores in 1994 at a price of $5 and new ones came out every 6 months by 1995 Beanie Babies had stared a collection frenzy and dealers were having trouble keeping them in stock.
One of the newer stuffed animal companies on the scene is Jellycat. Jellycat was established in London in 1999. Jellycat produces and markets very unique, sophisticated high-quality soft stuffed animals and other soft toys. They've got interesting names such as bunglie, junglie and truffles. They use materials and patterns influenced by the fashion scene.
Today there are literally thousands of stuffed toys to choose from and several materials that are used to make them, from man made to organic. You can even find many lines which are produced especially for animals themselves for instance cat and dog toys!
Stuffed animals are perfect gifts for just about any age. Boy or girl, young or old, they are sure to warm your heart.
