Steiff is a German-based plush toy company known for its high quality. It was begun 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 teddy bear in 1902. In 1907, Steiff manufactured 974,000 bears, and has been increasing its output ever since.

 

The Steiff company motto, by Margarete Steiff, is "Only the best is good enough for children". Steiff products are subject to meticulous testing and inspection. Steiff has created the "Steiff Purity Law" This involves the voluntary examination of their products - not imposed by any standards - because harmful substances of any type have no place in the high-quality Steiff products.

 

 A large amount of the work is done by hand, from design sketches to airbrushed paint. The final touch on any Steiff toy is the trademark "button in ear". The famed "button in ear" was devised by Margarete's nephew Franz in 1904, to keep counterfeits from being passed off as authentic Steiff toys. It is metal and originally had the symbol of an elephant, later replaced by the name "Steiff".