Joy-Toys was founded in the twenties in South Yarra in Australia, by
Gerald Kirby and his wife. It was probably the first Australian Teddy
Bear factory. The company had a rough start, until they started making
Disney-characters under license around 1935.
After the Kirby’s left
for London in 1937, Joy-Toys expanded under Maurice Court. In 1966 the
company was taken over by the British company Cyclops. In the early
seventies production was shut down.
Joy-Toys-bears from before the Second World War are made of
plush and have a stuffing of wood wool and a characteristic nose. No
neck disc, would become the trademark of Joy-Toys Teddy Bears and other
Australian brands after the Second World War.
At the end of the
fifties and in the sixties the shape of Joy-Toys bears didn’t change.
They still had the square nose and big, glass eyes, discs in the limbs
and a characteristic, unmovable neck.
Trademarks
Joy-Toys trademark was a white label on the right sole, with ‘Joy-Toys made in Australia’ on it in green, sewn letters.
