Teddy Bears – What Are They Made Of?
Teddies, irresistible, cuddly and universally loved. That’s the outside, but what about the inner bear? What fabrics, stuffing and squeakers go into our favourite friends?
Fabric
Over the years bears have been made in almost every material you can think of. The classic fabric, that was used for the earliest bears, is mohair (wool from Angora goats) which has a realistic texture and is very resistant to dirty. Over the years manufacturers experimented with other, cheaper, materials and in wartime there was even an economy fibre woven from nettles! Synthetic fabrics are the most widely used substitutes for mohair as they are washable and can be dyed in a rainbow of colours.
Paw Pads
Many of the earliest bears’ pads were cut out of felt or sometimes suede. This was felt to be however, a rather expensive material for a simple child’s toy. In the 1930s a cheap substitute called rexine was used. This was made from oil cloth but was prone to cracking. Natural leather and velveteen were also used. More recently pads have been made from plush, either incorporated within the limbs or with inserts of a different colour. It is usual today for washable synthetics to be used.
Stuffing
Wood wool was the earliest stuffing and continued in use for many years. From 1918 onwards kapok, a soft fibre made from the seed pods of the kapok tree became popular, whilst in World War 2, bears had economy stuffing, for example waste from cotton mills or cut up stockings. Today many stuffings are washable, for obvious reasons and polyester wadding and plastic pellets are popular.
Features
Eyes were initially made from wooden shoe button eyes. Glass eyes were available and the first ones were made from blown glass, imported from Germany. However these were expensive and it was found to be cheaper to simply paint the colour onto the back of the glass. Eyes were originally fitted with a small metal hook, but after World War 2 safety regulations led to the development of today’s plastic eyes, secured from the reverse with a washer.
Noses proved the most difficult feature to achieve satisfactorily as plastic and leather were too hard, so eventually hand-embroidered noses became the most commonly found. These are a useful clue to a bear’s manufacturer as different companies favoured different shapes and ways of stitching. Today children’s toys usually have lock-in safety noses in plastic, while collectors’ bears are more likely to have the traditional hand-sewn noses.
Mouths are traditionally hand-stitched, usually with a single line from the centre of the nose finishing in an upside down “V”. Changing the shape of this “V” can completely alter a bear’s expression from a beautiful smile to a more pensive or even cross-looking face.
Joints
Early bears could move their heads and limbs well as they had a card or metal disc inserted on either side of the joint joined by a pin and fastened off with a small metal washer. Plastic rods replaced metal pins in the 1940s and today cardboard joints are obsolete having long since been replaced by plastic, although hardboard joints are still used for some artist bears.
Squeakers and Growlers
Squeakers were tried in teddy bears, and an odd contraption comprising a reed in an oilcloth bag was also experimented with. However the tilt growler is universally agreed to produce the “real” teddy bear voice. These growlers comprise cardboard tubes with a small pair of bellows attached to a reed. When the bear is turned over a weight at one end opens the bellows and when it’s stood upright again the air is released giving a slow, realistic growling noise. The same principle is used in today’s teddy bears, some of whom can be seen at DevonBear Designs on a range of products including aprons [devonbeardesigns.com/prod6.asp?prod_id=3340&id=266&sub_cat=579&grpid=3340&msg=&offset=] and greetings cards [devonbeardesigns.com/prod6.asp?prod_id=3344&id=272&sub_cat=581&grpid=3344&msg=&offset=].