Several interesting facts from the history of soft toys, which partly contradict each other, however, they all deserve to exist. This is because some of them are just theories, while others are indisputable facts. So, let's begin:
Fact number 1. The stuffed toy is the latest of all types, if we take into account the time of its appearance. In fact, these are prototypes of animals that caring mothers sewed for their children. They were made from rags of fabric, then stuffed with cotton wool, then they were decorated, here the skills of knitting, embroidery, needlework in one word came to the rescue. It was only in the nineteenth century that modern soft toys appeared.
Fact number 2. The first bears in history appeared in 1908 in England. In the same place in the 10s of the last century the first toy store of the Steiff company was opened, which later appeared in America. In the middle of the same decade, the firms engaged in the production of bears, which received the name Teddy, were already spreading throughout Europe, and English bears were in vogue for a long time.
Fact number 3. Frank Murphy, author of The Legend of Teddy Bear, an American historian cites a number of interesting facts in his research. Alice Scott was the author of the first book published in the USA in 1907, which dealt with a teddy bear, or rather about his adventures. During this time, more than 400 books by different authors contain a story, the main character of which is a teddy bear. The most popular of these was the tale Winnie the Pooh by Alexander Milne, first published in 1926. In America, in 1909, the teddy bear song The Teddy Bear Two Step first appeared. After that, only in the UK and the USA more than eighty songs on this topic were written.
Fact number 4. The German magazine for women "Die Mod Ewe Itt" in 1879, under the heading of leisure, invited its readers to sew an elephant toy out of soft felt using the attached pattern with a description. This idea came to the taste of lovely ladies. Many of them have toys of their own production.
Fact number 5. At the beginning of the twentieth century, when the famous Teddy appeared, a bear cub of an indeterminate gender entered the world of childhood. From that time on, playing with dolls began to fascinate not only girls, and the boys gladly took up this business. Educators believe that soft toys have a positive effect on the development of children. Despite the fact that the bear does not help in the development of coordination of movements or logical thinking, babies fall asleep, hugging this wonderful animal, sobbing with love and pity for him, since in the world of modern iron and plastic toys he is an island of protection and love. Psychologists mark this toy at least for the fact that it awakens in children a love for nature, fosters humanity.
Fact. No. 6. When auction houses began to hold regular special auctions twenty years ago, an official market was formed for not ordinary but collectible bears. Arctophilia is the scientific name for such an unusual passion, which was invented in the early eighties by "plush" owners, who in turn received the nickname - arctophiles. Leading serious reasoning about the artistic merits, profitable additions to their collections, bear lovers most often cannot part with their favorite exhibits, which they have kept since childhood. Leila Maniera, an expert at the famous Christie`s auction, often said in the press that the sellers had more than once withdrawn their cubs from the auction, because they could not imagine parting with their favorites forever.
Fact number 7. More than a hundred years have passed since the day when the mass production of teddy bears began.During all this time, millions of units of this product of all sizes and colors have been sold in the world, confidently becoming the leader in sales among other toys around the world. Remarkably, plush friends delight both children and adults alike (no doubt, we are talking primarily about women). Accordingly, if you are just thinking about a gift for your beloved, you can safely opt for this plush miracle.
Fact number 8. From the moment the German firm Steiff released the first teddy bears, called the Teddy bear, they have become the eternal companion of a large number of children. The most important task of a soft toy is to comfort kids, to give them tenderness. It is well known that when a baby is sad, he hugs his plush friend as tightly as possible, shares his feelings with him.
Fact number 9. Georgy Mikhailovich, Grand Duke of Russia, in 1908 gave his daughter, Xenia, who at that time was four years old, a mohair bear from the Steiff firm. This toy was very unusual, bright red. For the bear, the girl's nanny sewed an orange Cossack uniform, nicknamed him Alfonso. When Xenia was ten years old, she was sent to her cousin, King of England George V. Soon after, the First World War began. The princess did not subsequently return to Russia, since her father was killed in St. Petersburg in 1919. Ksenia lived all her life in England, and until the end of her days most of all kept her friend Alfonso as a memory of the Motherland. This bear cub was inherited in 1965 by her daughter. It was then sold at auction for £ 12,100. It was acquired by Teddy Bear of Witney, a famous company. At the suggestion of Jan Pote, the new owner in 1900, Steiff reproduced an exact copy of Alfonso. A batch of five thousand copies was sold out instantly.
Fact number 10. About how the bear influenced the progress of science. Charles Panati, American historian and author of The Unusual Origins of Ordinary Things, argues that the invention of the teddy bear was the impetus for technological progress. Initially, Teddy was made from expensive fabrics and natural fur. However, the popularity and massive demand have put manufacturers in front of the fact that the reduction in the cost of raw materials is simply necessary. Therefore, for the manufacture of bearskin in 1903, plush began to be used, which until then was mainly used to decorate furniture as upholstery. Charles Panati believed that it was because of the teddy bears that fabric manufacturers thought about developing special materials that would be designed for children.
Since we are so carried away by stories about bears, it is impossible not to remember one "American Story", which, incidentally, later served as the impetus for the creation of some models of our favorite toys. This is how it was ... Theodore Roosevelt, the twenty-sixth president of the United States of America, visited Louisiana and Mississippi on November 14 in 1902 to settle the border dispute between them. Since Theodore was an avid hunter, he decided not to waste time and go to the wooded places in search of a bear. However, it was not possible to find it. The intended hunt did not work out. So that the president would not be very upset, his enterprising escorts ordered to urgently find and bring to the clearing, where Roosevelt settled down to rest after a failed hunt, a bear. The order was carried out, they tied the poor animal to a tree that grew in this very clearing, so that Theodore himself, as if inadvertently saw him. Seeing the beast, the president instantly cut through the conspiracy of his retinue, was very indignant about this and immediately exclaimed: "Have pity on the bear!" Roosevelt could not kill such a defenseless bear.
And that's not all the interesting stuff from the history of stuffed toys!
