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Chiltern began as the Chiltern Toy Works in 1908. Its first teddies were produced in 1915 and were called ‘Master Teddies’. This teddy had a distinctive wide grin and googly eyes! After the death of one of the founders, the factory went into partnership with HG Stone, to form HG Stone and Company in 1920.
The name’ Chiltern Toys’ was first used in 1923, with the introduction of the ‘Hugmee’ range of teddy bears. These bears were so successful that they remained in production from the 1920s till the 1950s. Each was made of mohair, with velveteen or cotton pads with embroidered claws, and a happy smile!
Teddies made between 1945-67 were given a label reading ‘Chiltern Hygienic Toys’ whilst those made between 1967-73 had one saying ‘Chad Valley/Chiltern’, after a take-over by Chad Valley.

The Jakas company began production in 1954. The earliest teddies were made from mohair. These were fully jointed, and are quite rare. During the 1960s, Jakas introduced their ‘trademark’ synthetic teddy bears, unjointed and with plastic eyes, which were now required to be used in children’s toys. A range of animals has also been produced, including bunnies, dogs, and wheeled toys, (to be used as walkers or ride-ons), as have dolls with vinyl faces and gollies. Labels were originally embroidered in red on a white background ‘JAKAS TOYS/Wash in Lukewarm Lux’, but later became printed.

The Johanna Haida company is renowned for the exceptional quality of its teddy bears. Produced from the finest quality materials in Sonneberg, Germany, each is hand-made using patterns first drafted by her mother in the 1940s. Haida teddies are made of mohair, with glass eyes and are hard-stuffed with woodwool. Each is very collectable and easily identifiable by the cloth tag attached. Made in a limited edition, the value of each teddy bear is assured and their smaller size makes them easy to display and collect.

Margarete Steiff first began making her soft toys from her home in the 1870s. The first toy produced was a felt elephant in 1877. Orders soon began to flood in for more of her creations, from all over Germany. In 1889 Margarete was able to open her first factory. The business continued to expand. Sketches made by her nephew, Richard, led to the development of the first jointed soft toy bear-the Teddy Bear in 1902. Due to other factories copying her designs, she was forced to identify them with a metal button in the ear, first used in 1904. Today, Steiff teddy bears are still known for there superb quality and innovative designs.

The Verna doll company began production in 1941. Between 1941 and 1948 its dolls were made with a cloth mask face, fabric body and kapok filling, which meant that the larger dolls were very heavy.
After 1948, teddy bears became Verna’s most successful product. The first bears were fully jointed and made from mohair. Each had glass eyes and a distinctive blunt muzzle. Tags read ‘VERNA/MADE IN AUSTRALIA’ in orange letters on white.
By the late 1960s, the teddies were no longer jointed, with outstretched arms, and were stuffed with moulded foam rubber. Pads were often made from vinyl, though during the 70s these were then made from the same fabric as the body.
In order to compete with cheap imported toys, Verna made a range of cheaper teddies, but was unable to remain in business and closed its doors in the early 1990s.