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Beanie Babies
T.H. Warner was born on September 3, 1944, on the outskirts of Chicago. His parents were Georgia, a pianist, and Harold, a jeweler. He also had a sister, Joyce. Ty liked to say that he was named after baseball legend, Ty Cobb and Harry S. Truman. The "H" in his name stood for nothing, though some people said it stood for his father's name, Harold. In 1962, Warner started working for a toy company called "Dakin" and stayed there 18 years. After leaving "Dakin", he headed to Sorrento, Italy. In Italy, Ty discovered a nice range of soft, cute, and cuddly plush toy cats. He had never seen cats like these in the USA. In 1983, Warner returned home. His father died that same year, leaving him $50,000. He used this money and $100,000 in his savings to begin his own toy company, Ty, Inc. in 1986. In 1993, Ty, Inc. released the first Beanie Baby creations, "Brownie" and "Punchers." During the later half of the year, they released the rest of the original nine, "Chocolate the Moose," "Cubbie the Bear," "Flash the Dolphin," "Legs the Frog," "Pattie the Platypus," "Pinchers the Lobster," "Splash the Orca Whale," "Spot the Dog," and "Squealer the Pig." The beanies were very unique. Instead of the typical stuffing that most toys are made of, the beanies are made out of "beans" and stuffing. The "beans" , or small PVC pellets (Poly Vinyl Chloride), gave the beanies a new form. You could make your beanie sit in various positions.
Boyds Bears
The Boyds Collection Ltd began as an antique shop run by Gary Lowenthal and his wife Justina ,in Boyds, Maryland, near Washington, D.C. In 1984, Gary designed a 12 inch wool bear and named it after his new born son, Mathew. In 1993, Boyds released it's first series of figurines, the Bearstone Collections, and then it released Folkstone. What is great and unusual about Boyds bears is that there is a hidden paw print on each of the resin figures. Mrs. Darla Hammond ,a local Boyds Bear collector, visited our classroom to show us part of her collection. Click here to view some of Mrs. Hammond's bears. We were able to find all the hinnen paw prints on her bears. It has always been Gary's dream to open up a flagship store. On September,27 2002, Gary opened up a store called Boyds Bear Country. Check this website out about Boyds Bears http://www.boydsbearcountry.com . Here you can find recipes, learn more about the history of the bears, participate in some hands-on activities, learn about special events at the Boyds Bear Country Store, and even purchase a Boyds Bear on-line!
Steiff's Bears
The Steiff name stands for quality and has given us that for more than 120 years. It started when Margaret Steiff created a little elephant named "Elefantle" in 1880. The little elephant was originally intended as a pin cushion but became the children's favorite toy. Margaret's motto is, "Only the best is good enough for the children." Richard Steiff, one of the company founders' nephews, was very fond of brown bears and produced a number of sketches. Inspired by his aunt, he came up with the idea of developing a soft brown bear for little boys. In 1902 , Richard Steiff introduced a bear with a head that turned and moving limbs onto the market as a surprising invention. It was given the simple designation of 55 PB = P for plush and B for beweglich which is something successful to adults and children. Since he was always trying to make things better, he started working on a slightly smaller ,slimmer bear with finer limbs and a coat of soft, light - colored mohair in 1903. So that you could identify Steiff animals, a metal button was introduced in 1904 for an unmistakable mark of quality. It is still attached to the left ear of every Steiff animal today. The Steiff teddy bear of 1902 was revised and improved again in 1905, before new styles, new animals and new materials were gradually added to the product ranged during the years that followed. Known as "Barle", the adorable design of this little bear provided the basis for all Steiff Teddy bears right through to the present day. He was the first bear whose limbs were secured by a sophisticated, patented technique that replaced the strong - thread jointing method used previously. Filled with wood shavings, the lighter, softer teddy bear was given mobility by a strong metal pin and firm cardboard disks in his limbs and body, a fastening technique that is durable and completely safe for the young. Some Steiff collectibles included: Hot-Water-Bottle-Bear In 1907, winter in Europe was very cold. The hot- water- bottle- bear was produced to fulfill a need. He laces up at the front to hide a hot water bottle. When you cuddle him he would keep you warm. He costs $1,385. Dolly Mohair Dolly Mohair is one of Steiff's cute creations. She is white and violet and wears a pink ruffle on her neck. She is 22cm with jointed, woven mohair fur, with a washable surface. She cost $265. Centenary Bear 2002 marks 100 years for Steiff. The "Centenary Bear" is named for the first 100 years of Steiff bears. The centenary bear is 44cm, has an exclusive embroidery on his dark blue tie, with growler, jointed, and beautiful blond curly mohair.
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