Ever wondered how to tell the age of a Steiff teddy bear?  The answer is - by style.  The style changes were subtle for bears produced by Steiff between 1904 and 1945.  After World War II, the pattern was changed and the Steiff teddy bear became very different from the earlier versions.

Silhouettes of several Steiff teddy bears emphasize the differences in styles during the years of change.  These variations are a great help in dating the range of Steiff teddy bears.

The silhouettes included here will help with identification and are explained as follows:

1.  1904 bear.  This bear is rod constructed, has extremely long arms, short legs, and a fairly flat head.  The body is very hard. 
2.  1905-1907 bear.  The arms are slightly shorter, but there is a sharper curve at the wrist.  The back is more shapely with a definite hump.  Even the feet are larger and more defined.  The head is still relatively flat.  The body of this bear is more ample and softer stuffed. 
3.  1908-1913 bear.  This is the definitive Steiff teddy bear.  His head is very well shaped and his snout is long.  The body is well shaped, ample, and has a large hump.  His arms are long and curved at the wrist.  The large feet are set at right angles to the shapely leg.  The narrow ankle is an important characteristic of all Steiff teddy bears.  The tumbler growler was introduced in 1908.  Teddy bears with this growler have much firmer bodies.  All three of these early bears have shoe-button eyes. 
4.  1920's bear.  The arms on this bear are long, but not quite as curved.  The snout is a little shorter and the eyes are of glass. 
5.  1930's bear.  This bear has shorter arms, feet and snout.  His back is fairly straight without the emphasis on a hump.  The head is smaller in comparison to the body.  6.  1950's bear.  This is an entirely different pattern with short, straight arms, short feet and a shorter snout on a less defined head.  The eyes are now glass.




Credits:  Barbara Lauver