Teddy bears began with Steiff cloth and a Roosevelt cartoon
Stuffed toys—plushies, soft toys, teddies—are fabric shells filled with soft stuffing, usually shaped like animals or characters. Margarete Steiff's German firm pioneered commercial stuffed animals in the late 1800s, and a 1902 Theodore Roosevelt cartoon sparked the name "Teddy's bear."
Softness, flexibility and likeness to creatures set them apart from hard toys. Bears, pets and showy wildlife dominate shelves; licensed characters sit beside generic animals. Sizes run from thumb-scale to larger than a house, though everyday plush rarely exceeds human height and is cut for cuddling. Early builds used felt, velvet or mohair stuffed with straw, horsehair or sawdust; after World War II synthetics spread, and 1954 brought the first easily washable teddy. Modern "plush"—from French peluche—often means polyester pile long enough to feel luxurious, hence the North American "plushie."
An 1878 Delineator sewing pattern for an elephant toy preceded Margarete Steiff's 1880 felt elephant pincushion-turned-toy. Nephew Richard Steiff's 1903 plush bear, sketched at a Stuttgart zoo, redefined the form. Peter Rabbit became the first patented fictional stuffed character in 1903. A. A. Milne bought a Harrods bear for Christopher Robin in 1921—the seed of Winnie-the-Pooh—while Paddington soft toys appeared from Jeremy Clarkson's family workshop in 1972. Homemade amigurumi crochet figures chase Japanese kawaii with oversized heads.
Uses span imaginative play, collecting, gifts and comfort. Psychologists call some of them transitional objects that ease separation from caregivers. In 2019 about one-third of British adults said they slept with soft toys, and nearly half still kept childhood ones. The global market was estimated at US$7.98 billion in 2018. Fads amplified demand: Ty Warner's pellet-filled Beanie Babies in the 1990s, Tickle Me Elmo in 1996, and from 2005 Webkinz codes unlocking online play.
Whether licensed mascot or basic bunny, the industry sells belonging you can hug—an old textile trick that still outsells many harder toys.
Source: Stuffed toy
