Toy Horse
DimensionsOverall: 22.8 x 25.4 cm
Credit LineGift of Dorothy Normand, London, Ontario, 1960
Object number1960.055.002
Label TextThis is a small pull along toy horse. It may have been manufactured by the Steiff Company or be a look-alike of a Steiff product. The Margrete Steiff Felt Toy Factory began operations in 1880. Margarete Steiff initially created fabric elephants as pincushions, but children started playing with them, leading to a variety of animal-themed toys, including horses.
The company became well known for its teddy bears, which began production in 1902. That year, Richard Steiff, nephew of business founder and owner, Margrete Steiff, proposed a bear as the next best animal for a toy, adding it to their long list of stuffed animal toys. While other toys were made of felt, Richard found “the cuddly and good for coloring mohair plush produced by the Florweberei Schulte (Schulte pile weaving mill) in Duisburg.” According to the company website, “the breakthrough came when an American trader discovered the bears and ordered 3,000 of them. The bears began an unprecedented selling success in the USA from 1906 under the name of Teddy Bear - named after the American president Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt.”
NameToy
