Teddy Bear Manufacturers

Australia

Australian teddy bear manufacturers.

company	city	years	first teddy bear
Jakas Soft Toys	Melbourne	1954 – #	1954
Joy-Toys	South Yarra	1920 – 1980	1920
Verna Toys	Victoria	1941 – 1985	1948

France

French bears can be identified by their short bristle mohair, their simple jointing and their colourful ear linings. Although they are relatively easy to identify it is often difficult to say what company made them. Two of best known are M. Pintel Fils and Fadap, both of whom ceased production in the 1970s.

company	city	years	first teddy bear
F.A.D.A.P.	Divonne-les-Bains	1920 – 1975	1920
M. Pintel Fils & Cie.	Paris	1918 – 1965	1918

Germany

Old German teddy bears are often filled with wood wool. Their arms reach to the hip or sometimes longer. The feet are also large and tapered.

company	city	years	first teddy bear
Gebrüder Bing	Nuremberg	1863 – 1932	1908
Eduard Crämer	Schalkau	1986 – ?	1912
Schreyer & Co.	Nuremberg	1912 – 1976	1913
Schuco	Nuremberg	1912 – 1976	1913
Steiff	Giengen	1877 – ?	1903
Gebrüder Süssenguth	Neustadt	1894 – ?	1925

Great Brittain

The first British bear was made by J.K. Farnell in 1906. Other early bears were made by W.J. Terry, Dean’s Rag Book Co Ltd, Chad Valley and Chiltern. While early British bears copied the German look, later on they began to change – their bodies became fatter, their faces flatter and their arms and legs shorter.

British makers also experimented with different materials. Artificial silk plush was first used in the 1920s and sheepskin was popular for a while in the 1950s. Bears made by different companies developed their own characteristics. Chad Valley bears are instantly recognisable from their bulbous noses. Early Farnell bears have webbed claw stitching, and Chiltern noses of the 1920s and 1930s have two long stitches going up at each end.

company	city	years	first teddy bear
Chad Valley Co. Ltd.	Birmingham	1820 – 1978	1915
Chiltern	Chesham	1919 – 1967	1923
Dean’s Rag Book	Merton	1903 – ?	1915
Ealontoys	London	1914 – 1950	1926
J.K. Farnell & Co. Ltd.	London	1840 – 1968	1908
Harwin & Co. Ltd.	London	1914 – 1930	1914
Merrythought	Shropshire	1919 – ?	1919
Peacock & Co. Ltd	London	1853 – 1939	1930
H.G. Stone & Co. Ltd.	Chesham	1919 – 1967	1923
William J. Terry	London	1890 – 1940	1913

USA

Ideal was the first company to make teddy bears in the United States. Ideal bears are characterised by their triangular shaped heads, and they have been producing the same style of bear for several decades. Other well-known American companies include Knickerbocker, Applause, Gund and the North American Bear Co, famous for their unusual character bears of famous people.

company	city	years	first teddy bear
Aetna Toy Animal Co.	New York NY	1906 – 1919	1906
Bruin Manufacturing Co.	–	1907 – ?	1907
Character Novelty Co.	Norwalk CT	1932 – 1983	1946
Columbia Manufacturers	New York NY	1907 – ?	1907
Ideal Novelty & Toy Co.	New York NY	1902 – 1984	1903
Knickerbocker	Albany NY	1850 – 1980	1925
Strauss Manufacturing	New York, NY	1907 – ?	1907