History of the soft toy and its manufacturing features

Almost everyone in childhood liked to play soft toys. Some had soft dolls, others had animals: rabbits, dogs, hedgehogs, etc. In this case, not only children are happy with soft toys, but also adults. After all, even young ladies do not mind getting a huge pink bear as a gift. Everyone has seen and is aware of the existence of these lovely presents, but what is the history of the soft toy? It is rich and full of interesting events.

What is a soft toy?

A soft toy is considered to be a child's toy made of artificial (or, as it is now fashionable to call, eco-friendly) fur, as well as fabrics and stuff for stuffing.

The history of the creation of a soft toy is full of facts, which talk about the use of a wide variety of things for stuffing, among which wood sawdust, shavings, cotton, cotton wool, etc. But now the stuffing material has changed significantly thanks to the development of new technologies and the industrial sector. Now in the course of granules of synthetic origin, different density of sintepon, etc.

History of appearance

According to the opinion of most researchers, the history of the appearance of a soft toy dates back to the third millennium BC. And first there were wooden toys on the territory of Egypt. Later, they learned how to introduce innovation and add mobile parts of the body to products. Also, scientists found the remains of toys during excavations in Italy (Pompeii). These are not soft, but still toys that were meant for children.

As it turned out, in every country and region there is a story of a soft toy. So, the prototypes of soft toys were found on the territory of Ukraine and in Siberia. These are figures in the form of animals and birds. A large number of researchers found ancient toys can boast of China.

Approximated to modern toys began to produce the French in the 19th century. Also in the 70s in Germany, a small workshop turned into a full-fledged soft toy company called Steiff. Later - at the beginning of the 20th century - mass production of soft plush toys and so on had already started.

Manufacturing

As the history of the appearance of a soft toy shows, its production goes in several directions. One of them is the production of simplified versions of the toy, while the second provides for a transition towards a naturalistic image, which exactly repeats the figure and movements of an animal, a bird, a fish, etc.

Among the basic elements for the manufacture of soft toys, the main ones are: a pattern (or pattern), a set of materials (natural or artificial fur, packing, fabric), as well as tools (needles, threads, special sticks, various scissors).

Toys with own hands

If you take into account that the story of a soft toy did not start with soft materials, but with solid materials (for example, wood), then in our time a sturdy frame is sometimes taken as a basis. But most often the soft toy remains completely soft, and only the stuffing is located inside.

With your hands make a soft toy is not difficult. The most important thing for this is to have patience, attention and a wonderful mood. It's no secret that every year the number of masters who are fond of hand-made in the toy sphere is becoming more and more. This is due not only to the desire to have a unique toy at home, but also to present a handmade gift to a child, a friend.

Especially since the story of a soft toy shows such statistics: initially soft toys were made by hand on the author's sketches, then factory production appeared, and now both exist in parallel. An important role in the development of handicrafts plays the Internet, thanks to which you can easily find different patterns, read ways and even watch video lessons.

The basic directions of manufacture of toys

To date, there are several main areas for soft toys. One of the first places on this list is occupied by dolls. As you know, many girls like dolls, soft to the touch. Their peculiarity is the presence of closing and opening eyes, such dolls can speak and even sing, answer some simple questions. All this is done with the help of built-in mechanisms. Dolls can be changed, sewing clothes for them, their arms and legs are bent.

No less popular are teddy bears, which are popular with both boys and girls. When the story of a soft toy is told, briefly about it one can say the following: first there were different little animals, and then the teddy bear, which moves the front and rear paws, took over the world. In addition to dolls and bears, all other soft figures are produced: hares, seals, elephants, tigers, lions, dogs, cows and many others. And all these little animals can be of different sizes - from very small for babies to huge, on which children sleep, as on a bed. Japanese manufacturers even developed models of such soft toys that completely mimic pet pets (puppies, kittens).