Glossary

Plush fabric is a soft, synthetic fur which can be long or short and velvety. It is often used in soft toy manufacturing as it is cheaper than mohair and…

Leather soft toys are very rare and are usually aimed at the home decor market. However, lit has often been used as accessories for soft toys such as teddy bears…

Kapok is a silky fibre obtained from the silk-cotton tree used for insulation and stuffing for pillows, mattresses, etc as well as soft toys such as teddies and other animals.…

Felt Toys. Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur,…

Growlers were introduced during the late 1900's.  The growling sound was made by wind passing over a reed inside the bear by squeezing or tilting the bear. From the 1920's…

Hump Back Teddy Bears. The hump is often associated with Steiff bears although occasionally other bear makers have used this technique as well. Below are some examples of hump back…

Jointed Toys. Joints used in soft toys are usually the same as the joints used for swivel heads. They are cotter pins and allow the arms and legs to move.…

Swivel Head Toys. In soft toys, swivel heads are usually made using a cotter pin, allowing joints and heads to rotate. Hard dolls used a ball socket to give this…

Boot button eyes or shoe button eyes were the earliest type of eyes used in teddy bear making. Back in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, boots would be fastened with…

Mohair is usually a silk-like fabric or yarn made from the hair of the Angora goat . Both durable and resilient, mohair is notable for its high luster and sheen,…