Useful Bear Information
Who made the first teddy bear?
At roughly the same time in the US and Germany, a new toy was being born. This toy would become one of the most familiar and well-loved children’s toys of all time. It would appeal to children and adults alike, range in price from a couple of pence to thousands of pounds, and be exported to every country in the world. This toy would become known as the Teddy Bear.
On November 14 1902, the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, was invited on a hunting trip. Worried that the President would go home without a trophy, his hosts caught a bear cub, tied it to a tree and told him that this was his target. Horrified, the President ordered that the defenceless cub be set free. The press quickly heard about Roosevelt’s admirable actions and the Washington Star’s Clifford Berryman illustrated the incident in cartoon form, entitled ‘Drawing the line at Mississippi’. It highlighted the helplessness of the cub and showed the public that the President could not be persuaded to make decisions for the wrong reasons. His popularity soared as a result. For the rest of his political career, Roosevelt’s mascot was ‘Teddy’s Bear’, which was used in all of Berryman’s cartoons and played a part in his successful re-election campaign in 1905. The Teddy Bear was christened.
After seeing the Berryman cartoon, Morris and Rose Mitchom (owners of a Brooklyn candy store) decided to create a real life version of ‘Teddy’s Bear’, which they put in the window of their shop along with a copy of the cartoon. It was so popular with customers that within a year, they closed the candy store and set up the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company, which is one of the biggest toy companies in the world today.
Around this time in Germany, toymaker Richard Steiff went to Stuttgart Zoo for inspiration. After seeing a troupe of performing bears, he had the idea of creating a jointed toy bear, which could stand upright and have independently moving limbs, like a doll. He gave his idea to his aunt, Margarete Steiff, herself an established toy maker, and she made up a prototype for him. Richard’s bear debuted at the Leipzig Toy Fair in 1903 to seemingly uninterested customers. However, as he was packing up, he was approached by an American buyer who ordered several thousand. The rest, as the saying goes, is history.
When was the Mumbles family born?
The story starts in Bristol, late 2004. In a small basement office around a table eating lunches fit for any teddy bear´s picnic, the brain storming sessions began. Managing Director Nicci Persey wanted to create a range of bears that were low-end in price, but high-end in quality. She wanted to create a selection of bears with quality and detail at the core. Mumbles was created. The Mumbles family moved from Bristol in late 2006 following a merger, and is now based in beautiful Devon. The bears don´t seem to mind, however, and have adapted perfectly to seaside life!
The history of the family names
Originally named ´Bumble´, the range´s name was changed to Mumbles after Nicci was not able to register her initial choice. It didn´t take long to come up with – just a couple of letter substitutions! The original name also explains the origin of the buzzing bee ear pin and logo which have become synonymous with the family. The first few bears were named after the employees´ own dogs – so each Mumbles family member comes with a very personal story. Bracken was Nicci´s last family dog, who “in 15 years, never grew up”. Honey was her first ever dog, who “was better than a dishcloth for mopping up discarded crumbs”. Benson and Monty were the names of other employees´ dogs, while Lenny seemed like the only choice for the king of the jungle! Binx´s original name was Minx because we thought he looked mischievous, but we decided a bit of wordplay was needed to avoid sounding cruel! Otis is named after his colour, oatmeal. Each bear was given a huge smile because Mumbles bears come from a very happy family indeed!
Do you have any character bears you would like to see joining the family? We’re always open to new suggestions, so why not email us if you have any ideas for any new additions to the family.
Where are Mumbles bears made?
We have established good supplier relations over the years, and we work with a reputable and trusted factory in China who makes all of our bears. We ensure that all our bears go through thorough testing before being shipped over, and inspections are carried out regularly by our on-site man. At Mumbles, safety and fair treatment are the top priorities.
Teddy testing
All soft toys sold in the UK have to conform to certain standards. All Mumbles bears carry the CE and EN71 toy safety marks, but what do these terms actually mean? The CE mark is the bear´s ´passport´. It shows that the bear has been manufactured in accordance with the safety requirements of the European directive (EN71). It also shows that the importer or manufacturer has kept a technical file on the bear to show that it has passed all European technical specifications. The CE mark is also accompanied by the name and address of the manufacturer or importer so that if there are any problems with the bear, it can be traced.
The EN71 is a series of standards set out by the EU that soft toys must comply with in order to be sold in Europe:
- EN71-1:2005 - Mechanical & Physical
- EN71-2:2006 - Flammability
- EN71-3:1995 - Toxicity
- EN71-6:1994 - Graphical age warning symbol
All Mumbles bears are thoroughly tested to ensure they pass all 4 parts.
We also test to test the bears to ensure they confrim to the European standards for:
- Azo Dye (2002/61/EC)
- Cadmium Content
- Phthalates
For more information contact your local Trading Standards office: www.tradingstandards.gov.uk
