Leo Lion (45cm) by Steiff

Leo Lion by Steiff. Leo lion is 45cm long and likes to relax in a lying-down position. Leo has a long luxurious mane and is made of soft plush fabric. A careful airbrush technique has been used to paint his face and body with a spectrum of brown shades. The fur around his mouth is white and his nose has a dark brown tone. His mouth and whiskers have been created with an airbrush, just like his claws. He has the trademark Steiff stainless steel “Button in Ear”.

The Steiff Group is a sixth generation family business founded in 1880 by Margarete Steiff in Giengen an der Brenz. Margarete Steiff started manufacturing toys when she created the Elefäntle from a pattern she found in a fashion journal. The felt elephant, intended as a pincushion, soon became popular as a children’s toy. The very first Steiff catalogue was published soon after, and shows not only elephants but also monkeys, donkeys, horses, camels, pigs, mice, dogs, cats, rabbits and giraffes. The Margarete Steiff felt goods factory was founded in Giengen, Germany in 1893 and Steiff manufacture remains in the same town to this day.

Richard Steiff was the favourite creative nephew of Steiff founder Margarete. He attended the School of Arts and Crafts in Stuttgart and studied in England before joining the still small company in 1897. He was often found in Nill’s zoo in Stuttgart, where he was inspired by the brown bears and drew them. From these drawings and sketches, Richard developed the world’s first teddy bear with movable arms and legs in 1902, the “Bear 55 PB”. Margarete was not convinced at first, but allowed Richard to exhibit the bear at the Leipzig Toy Fair in 1903. There it initially attracted little attention until an American dealer saw the potential in the little plush bear with moving arms and legs, and immediately ordered 3,000 bears. This is how the Steiff teddy bear’s worldwide popularity began, and as early as 1907, the teddy bear had moved into a million children’s rooms and became a beloved companion for a lifetime. The teddy bear with the “Button in Ear” is now famous worldwide.

In 2009, Steiff joined forces with Schulte, who supplied Richard Steiff with the fabric for the world’s first Teddy bear in 1902. This makes Steiff the world’s only manufacturer of soft toys with their own weaving mill and control of the entire manufacturing process.

Size: 45cm.

76% Polyacrylic 24% Cotton. Synthetic filling.

Machine washable on a delicate 30 degree wash.

Suitable for 3 Years+.

Product code 064135.