The teddy bear has long ceased to be just a toy for kids. Today, such a lovely soft friend is not averse to getting adult girls. A century ago, cubs as mascots were taken with them by flights and aviators. What is the secret of the popularity of these toys and what is their story? How to make teddy bears today? We will talk about all this further.
Homeland Teddy Bears
In fact, this is a moot point, because the prototypes of modern teddy bears were "born" almost at the same time in Germany and in the USA. Of course, there is no point in comparing how teddy bears are made now and how they were made then. At the beginning of the twentieth century (1902-1904 - this is when toy bears gain fame) they sewed bruins manually. Only natural material was used. Teddy bears, or rather, their ancestors, were made of fur, but then, due to its impracticality, they paid attention to felt, wool and, of course, plush, which until then was used only as upholstery for furniture. Stuffed toys with wood shavings or copra.
German Margaret Steiff, being confined to a wheelchair, sewed funny cubs to her nephews. One of the boys - Richard - and gave the idea to create a bear, not like an ordinary forest resident, but a circus beast that can walk on its hind legs and dance. The success was overwhelming: already in 1904, the Steiff Company (a company created by Margaret and her family) received gold at the world exhibition of soft toys, held in the United States. And then there were new designs, a branded metal button in the ear of a bear and the conquest of millions of hearts of children and adults around the world.
As for the American teddy bears, they owe their appearance ... to Theodore Roosevelt! In 1902, he participated in the hunt, but the extraction did not go into the hands. Then the hunters caught the teddy bear, tied it to a tree and offered Roosevelt the honorary right to shoot. However, he considered such behavior unsportsmanlike and refused to kill the animal. The next day it was in all the local newspapers. A caricature of Roosevelt and a cute teddy bear was seen by the wife of Morris Michtom, the owner of a toy store. She became the author of the first teddy bear. The president was not at all against the use of this nickname in relation to teddy bears and even made them his mascot during the second election campaign.
How to make teddy bears today?
This question begs itself when you look at the charming miniature bears and teddy giants offered by toy stores. For example, in an online store You can buy your girlfriend a friend who will be with her about the same height (160 cm). Just think how much effort you need to create such a big Toptygin!
It all starts with the development of patterns (patterns). Next, the master transfers the contours of the parts (head, ears, legs, torso, tail) to the fabric. They carefully cut the material, touching only the substrate so as not to damage the pile, otherwise the bear will be βbaldβ at the junctions of the parts. Sew also very carefully, tucking the plush inward, between the connected pieces of material. The packing hole is left in the neck area of ββthe bear. As a filler, hollofiber or sintepuh is usually used. Next, the βholeβ is sewn with hidden stitches and βmaskedβ with a bow tied around the neck of the toy. Here is a charming Potapych and ready!
What are teddy bears made of?
Plush is a material resembling fur. It also consists of a substrate and a pile. The villi themselves can be single strings (split plush) or loops (looped plush). Unscrupulous manufacturers, trying to ease their task, simply stick a pile on the substrate. Such a bear will smell terribly and molt. Therefore, when choosing a soft friend for yourself, a child or a second half, pay attention to the fact that the villi are certainly woven into the base. Only such a bear has the right to be called plush!