Stuffed Animals: A Brief History of the Cuddly Companion

a brief history of the cuddly companion.

ERIN PASCOE

ERIN PASCOE

Photo by: Rebekah Kaufman

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Photo © 1916 Sears Roebuck & Co. Winter Catalogue

Stuffed animals have been enjoyed by children and collectors alike for hundreds of years. Stuffed toys can be made from a variety of materials and usually consist of a soft fabric outer lining with plush stuffing on the inside. Plush toys have many functions, with the ability to allow children to use their imagination as well as add to the avid collector’s treasure. The possibility for interaction continues to expand as technology continues to advance. This book will explore the origin and speculate the future of this beloved toy.

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Photo © J. Scott Park

The modern stuffed animal as we know it today was originally inspired by the Romans creation of the rag doll sometime between the 1st and 5th centuries1. In the late 1800s, companies like Steiff started producing elephant pin cushions that were favored by children, so they began to market to them2.

1880 Steiff Company founded in 1880, with Margarete Steiff creating the first elephant stuffed animal based on a pin cushion pattern she found in a magazine3.

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Morris Michtom was inspired by a comic he read in the Washington Post to create the Teddy Bear, making the Ideal Toy Company became the largest company in the country for manufacturing plush toys2.

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1903

Steiff Company starts to use modern assembly line production methods3.

Peter Rabbit becomes the first stuffed toy to be patented4.

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1920s

First “teddy� bears created simultaneously by Steiff Company in Germany & the Ideal Toy Company in the USA in 1902.

Steiff debuted the first jointed bear in 19032.

Sock monkeys become popular due to the Great Depression5.

Photo Š Rebekah Kaufman

1980s Companys like Mattel bring popular characters in pop culture to life through the modern stuffed animal6.

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1990s

Nelson Knitting Mills socks now come with a pattern to create the toy, as well as introducing a new elephant pattern in 19585.

Collectible stuffed toys become popular, with TY dominating the collectible market6.

2005 Webkinz is founded, taking the physical toy into a virtual world through the internet7.

2013 Budsies is founded, turnging children’s drawings into their very own stuffed toys8.

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Photo by © Rebekah Kaufman

The stuffed animal has evolved immensely from the late 1800s pin cushion patterns and the first jointed teddy bears. From the first motorized stuffed animals, to the Great Depression, and into the modern-day virtual realm, stuffed animals have changed in various ways, such as size, shape, material3 5.

MASS PRODUCTION & ECONOMIC DESPAIR

In 1898, Adolph Gund founded Gund Manufacturing Company, which created some of the first patents for motorized stuffed animals, such as the “Wa-geeWalker”, a walking-mechanical dog.

During the early 1900s, mass production allowed the teddy bear to be in the homes of most children at the time9.

At the start of The Great Depression in the 1920s, parents would begin to make their own stuffed animals out of rags and scrap fabrics. The most popular stuffed animal sparked from this crisis was the sock monkey. Mothers would create them from the famous Nelson Knitting Mills socks, and by 1955, the pattern for the toy would come with every pair purchased5.

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Photo by © vippng.com

Illustration of Mattel’s Winnie the Pooh stuffed bear.

COMMERCIALIZATION & THE 90S

After World War II, during the babyboom, there was a surge in the demand for stuffed animals. Companies like Wallace Berry and Mattel began to manufacture licensed toys such as Disney and Warner Brothers. By the 1980s, stuffed animals took the form of favorite fictional/movie characters, like Winnie the Pooh and Sesame Street6.

Photo by Š Pxfuel

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By the 1990s, stuffed toys became collector’s items. Brands like TY were at the forefront with their line of Beanie Babies, small stuffed animals filled with plastic beads. Companies like Build-ABear combined the ideas of collecting and custom toy fabrication to create a one-ofa-kind toy building experience6.

MODERN DAY INFLUENCE In 2005, Webkinzs stuffed toys hit the shelves. The GANZ Corporation had created stuffed animals that were not only meant for children to play with physically, but online as well. Each “pet” came with a code to play mini games, decorate virtual rooms, and meet other Webkinz pet owners in a virtual space7.

With this, Webkinz re-imagined the way of play. Economic despair, television/ commercialization, and advancements in social interaction impacted stuffed animals in such a way, making them more than just a re-purposed pin cushion5 6 7.

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Photo by © RSBPhoto

Illustration of popular Webkinz “Cheeky Monkey” stuffed toy.

Photo by © Wikimedia Commons

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Photo Š jurgita.photography

Stuffed animals have many purposes including playing, collecting, comfort, and therapy. Stuffed toys are often associated with children, but many adults collect stuffed animals. This section will explore the many ways in which these cute companions are used today.

Illustration of original Steiff Company elephant pin cushion, inspiration for modern stuffed toys today.

PLAYING

In the late 1800s, children showed interest in small, elephant shaped pin cushions, which were used for sewing at the time.

Because of this interest, toys specifically for chidren were produced. Stuffed animals were also made for children by parents, constructed from scrap fabric and socks3 5.

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Photo by Š Thomas M. Perkins

COMFORT & THERAPY

In the 90s, TY’s Beanie Babies were a very popular collectcors item. Today, some of these small friends are worth serious amounts of money. While Beanie Babies are not as popular these days, many collectors still cherish these and other collectibles6.

Even though stuffed toys are popular among children, stuffed animals have been known to comfort people in a variety of ways. Studies show that stuffed animals have helped those with high levels of dissociation to relieve stress and ground those who experience DID, or Dissociative Identity Disorder. Commonly, stuffed animals are also brought to patients as “get well” gifts10.

Photo © RSBPhoto

Photo © Sean Gallup

COLLECTING

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Photo © Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio

ECULATION

Stuffed animals have evolved greatly over the past century and continue to change as culture does. The most common association with these toys are comfort and play, but new research suggests a different future for these companions. Not only will stuffed toys be made out of more sustainable materials than before, but will also be used for exploration with the help of innovative technologies.

SUSTAINABILITY

In the past, these toys were stuffed using biodegradable materials, like cotton and wood shavings. Today, many stuffed animals are made using synthetic fibers and plastics that are harmful for the environment. Society’s growing concerns of global warming cause the outlook for the use of more sustainable materials in stuffed toys is great11.

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Photo Š pngplay.com

Researcher holding OmniSkin technology.

NEW USES & ROBOTICS

Stuffed animals have a history of being used for comfort, gifts, and collecting. New research suggests that stuffed animals can be used for investigation purposes. If an environment is too dangerous for humans involvement, robotic extensions, also known as “OmniSkin”, as well as a camera can be attached to stuffed animals to be able to gain insight to a place people may not have been able to reach before. The extensions allow the toy to “walk”, therefore exploring every inch of its surroundings to gain valuable data12.

Photo © Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio

Stuffed toy horse with OmniSkin Extensions.

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1

The British Museum — https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/ collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=400067&partId=1

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The Zoo Factory — https://w w w.thezoofactory.com/blog/history-of-stuffed-animals/

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Steiff USA — https://w w w.steiffusa.com/steiff-the-story/

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Smithsonian Magazine — https://w w w.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-beatrix-potterinvented-character-merchandising-180961979/ 5

Etsy Journal: Sock Monkeys — https://blog.etsy.com/en/sock-monkeys-their-history-and-theirrevival/ 6

License 2 Play — https://w w w.license-2-play.com/wholesale-toys/read-news/history-ofstuffed-toys/ 7

Webkinz Hub —http://w w w.webkinzhub.com/history-of-webkinz.html

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Budsies — http://w w w.budsies.com/about

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GUND History — https://gund.com/pages/history

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Good Therapy — https://w w w.goodtherapy.org/blog/animal-assisted-therapy-stuffedanimals-1101121/

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Fur Commission USA — https://furcommission.com/saving-the-planet-with-plush-toys/

NBC News: Robotic Skins — https://w w w.nbcnews.com/mach/science/robotic-skintransforms-stuffed-animals-soft-bots-s-just-beginning-ncna917116

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Photo by © Rebekah Kaufman

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