Steiff is a German-based plush toy company known for its high quality. First established 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 Steiff teddy bear in 1902

A great deal happens between having the idea for an unmistakable Steiff animal and its completion. The production process for a Steiff teddy bear or stuffed animal consists of more than 30 operations on average and most of these are performed by hand in the traditional manner.

Every Steiff creation is produced with the clearly defined trademark considerations, best-quality materials, workmanship and safety in mind, as well as the company philosophy "Only the best is good enough for children!" Customers buy Steiff products because they have confidence in the "Button in Ear" trademark.

Margarete Steiff holds the best-documented claim to have made the world's first teddy bears, and since that time (1902) no other company have rivalled them for consistent quality or range.

Whenever a bear has fetched a world record at auction, it has always been a Steiff.

It is no wonder that Steiff teddy bears have remained so greatly prized by discriminating collectors.

The Steiff Collections

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The Steiff name stands for quality and has done so for more than 120 years. When Margarete Steiff created her little elephant "Elefäntle" in 1880 and watched the felt elephant that was originally intended as a pin-cushion advance to become the children's favorite toy, she discovered how important good-quality, lovingly designed toys are for children. Her motto above characterises the work of Steiff today.

"Only the best is good enough for children"