The concept of stuffed animals is reflected in tomb paintings that date as far back as the Ancient Egypt in the Mesopotamian civilizations. They were shown in these societies for religious purposes and for nonhuman anthropomorphisms or used as inanimate objects of play.
Stuffed animals in Europe
The period in European history between antiquity and the Renaissance, often dated from A.D. 476 to 1453, stuffed animals were used in play to represent Biblical stories such as The Book of Genesis, when God created man and every beast and bird and the serpent lured by Eve in the Garden of Eden. In the late 18th century, Europe went through radical socioeconomic changes, known as the Industrial Revolution in which production shifted from home-based hand manufacturing to large-scale factory production the toy industry began to develop. By the 19th century the concept of “soft toys” emerged, and a company called Steiff Toys took the forefront. From an era when women had few legal rights and commanded little social standing, this toymaker, Margaret Steiff, a handicapped woman created and became the first and largest manufacturer of stuffed toys in Germany and one of the most recognized brands of toys in the world. In this same period throughout the world there are findings of stuffed animals made of straw, rags, beans, corn or hunted animal parts which appear to be either used for display or human play.
Stuffed Animals become commonplace
The most popular stuffed animal in time is the teddy bear which came about in the early 1900’s and was inspired by Theodore Roosevelt’s infamous no-luck hunting trip, when a then famous cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman drew a funny satire of his trip in the Washington Post. The anecdote quickly spread throughout the world and the first “teddy” bear was made by Rose Michtom and became an overnight success. Once the teddy bear craze erupted in the US, Margaret Steiff in Germany began making higher-quality models of the same “teddy” bear and the demand became so great that she had to expand her production facilities to supply her customers. During the “bear years” as they were called, Margaret Steiff employed over 2000 workers, mainly women and her teddy bear production rose from 12,000 units to 975,000 by the year 1908 it became a multi-million dollar market of global dimensions
Today’s plus soft animals are loved by young and old. Stuffed Animals help develop a vivid imagination. Stuffed animals offer young children a chance to gain valuable social and developmental skills through imaginary play. Giving a gift of a plush stuffed animal to someone of any age is one of the world's most popular expressions of friendship and love. Stuffed Animals are the most popular gifts for kids on Valentine’s Day and stuffed animals are also popular gifts on birthdays, special celebration’s and holidays.