How do teddy bears? Secrets of production

The teddy bear has long ceased to be just a toy for kids. Today, such a sweet soft friend is not averse to getting adult girls. A century ago, bear cubs took talismans as pilots and aviators. What is the secret of the popularity of these toys and what is their story? How do teddy bears today? We'll talk about all this further.

Birthplace of teddy bears

In fact, the question is controversial, because the prototypes of modern cubs "were born" almost at the same time in Germany and in the US. Of course, there is no point in comparing how the teddy bears are made now, and how they were made then. At the beginning of the twentieth century (1902-1904 - that's when toy bears become famous), the toptigins were sewn by hand. Only natural material was used. Plush bears, more precisely, their ancestors, were made of fur, but then, in view of its impracticality, they paid attention to felt, wool and, of course, plush, which had previously been used only as upholstery for furniture. Filled toys with wood shavings or copra.

German Margaret Steiff, being chained to a wheelchair, sewed amusing cubs to her nephews. One of the boys - Richard - and gave the idea to create a bear, not like an ordinary forest inhabitant, but a circus animal, able to walk on its hind legs and dance. The success was overwhelming: as early as 1904, Steiff Company (the company created by Margaret and her family) received gold at the World Soft Toys Fair in the United States. And then there were new designs, a proprietary metal button in the ear of bears and the conquest of millions of hearts of children and adults around the world.

As for American teddy bears, they owe their appearance to ... Theodore Roosevelt! In 1902, he participated in the hunt, but the booty did not go into the hands. Then the hunters caught a bear cub, tied it to a tree and offered Roosevelt the honorable right of a shot. He, however, found this behavior unsporting and refused to kill the animal. The next day it was in all the local newspapers. A cartoon with the image of Roosevelt and a cute little bear was seen by the wife of Morris Michem, the owner of a toy store. She became the author of the first bear Teddy. The president was not at all against using this nickname in relation to toy cubs and even made them his mascot during the second election campaign.

How do teddy bears today?

This question arises by itself, when you look at the charming miniature bears and plush giants offered by the toy shops. For example, in the online store mishka4love.ru you can buy your girlfriend a friend who will be with her about the same height (160 cm). Just think how much effort is needed to create such a big Toptygin!

It all begins with the development of patterns (patterns). Then the master transfers the contours of the parts (head, ears, paws, trunk, tail) onto the fabric. Cut the material gently, affecting only the substrate, so as not to damage the pile, otherwise in the junction of the details the bear will be "bald". Sew is also very neat, filling the plush inside, between the pieces of material to be joined. A hole for stuffing leaves the neck bears. As a filler, it is common to use holofiber or sintepux. Next, the "hole" is sewn with secret stitches and "masked" with a bow tied around the neck of the toy. Here is the charming Potapich and is ready!

What makes teddy bears?

Plush is a material resembling a fur. It also consists of a substrate and a pile. The villi themselves can be single strings (split plush) or loops (loop plush). Unfair producers, trying to ease themselves a task, simply paste the pile on the substrate. Such a bear will smell terribly and shed. Therefore, when choosing a soft friend for yourself, the child or the second half, pay attention to the fact that the villi were necessarily woven into the base. Only such a bear has the right to be called a plush!