Plush animal, cat

The Steiff Company, still in operation, has long been renowned for its stuffed animals and soft toys. This small pull-toy cat dates from about 1890. The company's founder, Margaret Steiff (1847-1909), was confined to a wheelchair after a childhood bout of polio. She learned dress-making, and in 1877, backed by her relatives' felt factory in Giengen, Germany, she began producing ready-made clothing and eventually stuffed toys. By 1886, she was making over 5000 stuffed monkeys, donkeys, horses, pigs, camels and cats a year. Her bear, introduced in 1903, proved so popular that Steiff expanded three times over the next five years. The McCord toy collection has a selection of Steiff animals from elephants to much loved teddy bears.