Steiff is a German-based
plush toy company known for
its high quality and
equally
high prices. It was begun in
1880 by Margarete Steiff,
who
was later assisted
by her
brother Fritz. Their nephew
Richard joined in 1897, who
gave the company an
enormous boost in
popularity
by creating the teddy bear in
1902. In 1907, Steiff
manufactured 974,000
bears,
and has been increasing its
output ever since. The
Steiff company
motto, as styled by
Margarete
Steiff, is "Only the best is
good
enough for children".
Steiff products are subject
to
meticulous testing and
inspection. They are required
to be highly flame resistant
and, among other things,
smaller pieces such as eyes
must be able to resist
considerable tension, wear
and
tear, etc.
