Yes, I had to go to the Steiff Museum to see where all those cute Teddy Bears were made and of course to buy some. I knew Nick really did not want to go but he did anyway and to tell you the truth, he didn't think it was bad at all. We had a blast, even though we probably looked ridiculous being as we had not children with us or have any ourselves, but what the heck, you have to have fun in life even if it means going back to childhood.
We had quite an interesting tour. It started out with us watching a replica of Margarete Steiff's room where she sewed. We learned that she began designing elephants that were sold as pincushions to her friends. Her brother took them to market and sold them to other children as toys and following its popularity, Maragrete made dogs, cats and pigs.
After that, we were guided into the old workshop where we met teddy. Her nephew Richard joined her and gave an enormous boost in popularity by creating teddy. During a Leipzig Toy Fair in 1903, 3,000 bears were exported to the United States, creating the Roosevelt Bear craze. All due to Theodore Roosevelt's nick name of "Teddy" and the incident on a bear-hunting trip in Mississippi of 1902. This is where he refused to shoot a cub, as it did not have a chance to defend itself.
Our tour then took us up, in the skies where dreams come true, to the world of Steiff. We got to see their big stuffed animals, ones that we could sit on and almost look as if we were riding or that they were real. It was truly amazing.
"Only the best is good enough for children," is the Steiff motto, as the products are subject to meticulous testing and inspection. For example 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. Not to mention the steep prices. I still love them despite that fact and despite the fact that Nick thinks the old classic style is creepy with its moveable appendages and rotating head. I say a doll is much worse!
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