Steiff

Margarete Steiff’s company in Giengen began with a felt elephant; the teddy bear came in 1902–1903.

Margarete Steiff was paralysed in the legs after polio and sewed an elephant of felt as a pincushion. It became a toy, and her workshop in Giengen grew.

Her nephew Richard Steiff designed a bear with jointed limbs in 1902, which was shown at the Leipzig toy fair in 1903. The button in the ear of 1904 became the brand's hallmark.

The button in the ear since 1904; the button’s style and the label’s colour give the date.

• Toys
• Teddy bear
• Richard Steiff