Chapter One Steiff 1902-05 EXPERIMENTAL PERIOD; INTRODUCTION OF "BUTTON IN EAR" In 1902, Richard Steiff began experimenting to invent a satisfactory, flexible jointing system. He devised a series of simple, string-jointed animals, one of which was the brown Bär 55 PB -- so called because it was 22in (55cm) high (seated), made of Plusch (plush), and Beweglich (movable). The bear was in a crate of toys sent to New York in February 1903, but was initially unsuccessful. A month later, however, US wholesalers Geo. Borgfeldt & Co. ordered 3,000 at the Leipzig Spring Fair. Steiff patented four designs, culminating in the rod-jointed Bär 28 PB. Made for only one year, it was copied by Wilhlem Strunz of Nuremberg, leading to ongoing legal disputes. 1904-05 Rod jointed; elephant logo Richard Steiff's bear evolved further in 1904: a cardboard-disk and string-jointed Bär 35 PB was registered on March 5, and a double-wire-jointed bear was registered later that year, on December 6. The teddy bear illustrated is rod-jointed like Bär 28 PB (registered June 8, 1905), but is larger. The rodded bears were given a new trademark in November 1904 -- a nickel-plated button, with Steiff's elephant and S-shaped trunk logo. Bear Profile In profile, you can clearly see the typical characteristics of early Steiff bears: the elongated, pointed muzzle; the hump; the rounded lower back; the large feet; and the long arms, which extend beyond the legs when the bear is seated. c.1903-04 White; rodded This rodded bear, with an elephant button, is probably a prototype -- this color does not appear on any known production bear. Its crooked, cinnamon-colored embroidered nose is a replacement; the original beige stitching for the mouth is just visible.
