The Teddy Bear CrazeBy John Gibb The golden age of teddy bears lasted from 1903 right up to the start of World War II. Teddies were hugely popular, a craze on the scale of Beanie Babies or Pokemon, and everyone who was anyone had a teddy, especially upper-class ladies and their children, and as they were still relatively expensive toys they were treated with great care and pride. Teddies could not yet be reliably and cheaply manufactured, and so were hand-made, artisan objects. German and American companies stepped teddy bear production into high gear, but the Germans? long experience in toymaking meant that their bears were of much higher quality and for a lower price than the Americans could manage. German industry quickly came to dominate the worldwide teddy bear industry ? but then, unfortunately, fell headlong into World War I. The war allowed the American teddy industry to recover and grow to many times its previous size, as America was scarcely involved in the fighting ? but, ironically, the Great Depression a few years later almost killed off the industry in America, at which point most teddy manufacturing moved back to Germany. The Germans were even more innovative with their bears this time, making teddies that could do all sorts of tricks, including dancing and playing little tunes. The reason that World War II is the end of the golden age is that it ended teddy manufacturing pretty much everywhere, but also led to the development of technology that could be used to mass-manufacture teddies. When teddy bears came back after the war, they were no longer hand-made, but were mass-produced in automated factories. These bears were made from artificial materials so that they could be machine-washed, with plastic eyes and foam stuffing. Worse, manufacturing moved entirely to the East, where factories could churn them out at a fraction of the price. As teddy bears got cheaper, they became even more popular, but the quality of the teddy would never quite be the same again. John Gibb is the owner of http://www.TeddyBear-information.info, For more information on Teddy Bears check out http://www.TeddyBear-information.info Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Gibb More Teddy Articles:A Fun Teddy Bear Party - Some Simple Steps - A fun teddy bear party is not a difficult thing to pull of with a little creativity and some things that you can find round your house! Here are some quick ideas for making the party "beary" fun! Teddy Bear Baby Shower Theme - Teddy Bears are used in many baby and kids themes, from nursery to toys. Teddy Bears are a classic baby shower theme that mommy to be will love. The Steiff Teddy Bear Story - In 1847 in a small town in Giengen, Germany a baby girl was born. She was named Margaret Steiff. TeddyBears - Did you know? - The original teddy bears are generally considered to come from Germany, where they were made by the Steiff company and exported to the US. The Most Expensive Teddy Bear - Teddy bear collecting is incredibly popular all over the world, with thousands of people amassing collections large and small. Most people of course only collect ordinary teddies which are available for reasonable prices, both new and second hand, but for some very serious collectors, money can be no object. The History of Teddy Bears - Teddy bears have been around since 1902. The teddy bear came to being when President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shot a black bear held captive by his hunting party Lessons I've Learned from Sewing Teddy Bears - A humorous look at the trials and errors of a new sewer as she attempts to make teddy bears for the first time. Teddy Bears - a Brief History Lesson - It is difficult to trace the history of the teddy bear, because it appears to have been invented independently at around the same time in America and in Germany Teddy bear craft book - A teddy bear craft book is a guide that enables you to make soft teddy bears Teddy Bear History - It's hard to believe those cute and cuddly friends, so much a part of our lives, haven't been around forever. The Teddy Bear is younger than the electric light, the motor car, and the telephone. |
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