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Collecting Stuffed Bears
Stuffed bears, also known as teddy bears, are toys specially designed for children. It is mostly composed of soft materials like cotton and covered with a fur-like skin.
In February 15, 1903, Morris and Rose Michtom, a couple from Brooklyn, New York, made the first stuffed bears in US. The toy had a charming, baby-faced exterior. They called it "teddy's bear" in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt. With the help of the Butler Brothers' Ideal Novelty and Toy Company, the Michtom couple mass-produced and manufactured the stuffed bear across the nation.
However, it was Margarete Steiff, together with his nephew Richard Steiff, of Germany who made the original stuffed bear in 1902. Steiff's stuffed bear, which is very similar to a cub, differs much from that of the Michtom's. But, it was able to penetrate the American market during the 1903 Leipzig Toy Fair. At present, the Margarete Steiff Toy Company still produces and manufactures quality stuffed bears.
In 1906, the stuffed bear craze became an everyday phenomenon. Soon after, toy makers from around the globe started manufacturing stuffed bears. These include the Gund Manufacturing Corporation in 1906, J.K. Farnell & Co. in 1908, Knickerbocker Toy Company in 1920, Schuco in 1921, and the Wendy Boston in 1954.
There are two kinds of stuffed bears; the Playable (designed as a child's toy and usually has unjointed body parts) and the "Collector Items" (also known as the "Designer Bears"). The later is typically for adults and has fully movable body parts. Some designer bears are rare and expensive to buy.
Famous stuffed bear characters in movies and televisions include Walt Disney's Winnie the Pooh (created by Alan Alexander Milne), Sesame Street's Radar, Brideshead Revisited's Aloysius, Full House's Mr. Bear, Mr. Bean's Teddy, Paddington's Paddington Bear (animated by Peggy Fortnum and written by Michael Bond), M*A*S*H's (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) unnamed teddy, the Simpsons' Bobo, Boros' Karol and Kathie Brands, and the Conker's Bad Fur Day's Tediz.
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