teddy bear: Steiff Teddy Bear in Magician Outfit

Margarete Steiff founded German-based plush toy company Steiff in 1880. Margarete first designed and sold plush elephants as pincushions, but the plush proved just as popular with children. In the following years, Margarete designed plush dogs, cats, and pigs. Margarete����_��s nephew, Richard, joined the company in 1902 and designed the first jointed bear. The stuffed bears became a hit with adults and children. Visitors who flocked to the boardwalks in New Jersey����_��s seaside resorts took home teddy bears as prizes and souvenirs. Women����_��s magazines featured ads for bear accessories and offered up-to-date patterns for sewing bear clothes. As early as 1907, Steiff produced more than 974,000 teddy bears.