About Steiff



The "Button in Ear"

The first button depicting the elephant 		1904 From November onwards, every Steiff animal leaving the factory had a "Button in Ear". The original button was made of metal, embossed with an elephant. Franz Steiff, another of Margarete's nephews, came up with this idea to distinguish Steiff articles from imitation products. The elephant was later replaced by the name "Steiff". This ingenious idea marked the launch of a world-famous trademark: Steiff "Button in Ear". Production increased to 12,000 Steiff bears.
1905 Richard Steiff revised the fundamental concept to create the basic design still used today.

1907 Steiff manufactured 974,000 Teddy bears. The five nephews of the company founder were appointed as directors of Steiff GmbH and the product spectrum expanded continuously. This was the breakthrough for the world-famous name from Germany.
Photo used for advertising and in catalogues in 1906/1908
 
Steiff North America, Inc.
425 Paramount Drive, Raynham, MA 02767
Phone: (508) 828-2377 Fax: (508)821-4477