Steiff

Margarete Steiff, a seamstress in Giengen an der Brenz who used a wheelchair all her life after childhood polio, began making felt animals in 1880; her nephew Richard's jointed bear of 1902 — displayed at Leipzig and ordered in bulk for America just as the 'Teddy' craze took Roosevelt's name — created the teddy bear as the world knows it. The 'Knopf im Ohr,' the button in the ear introduced in 1904 to guarantee authenticity, remains the company's seal. Steiff still manufactures in Giengen, where the Steiff Museum presents the story, and its mohair and alpaca animals are made with hand-finishing that keeps them heirloom objects: limited editions and replicas of historic bears are seriously collected, with early examples reaching auction records. A classic mohair bear with the ear button is the essential purchase — a toy, a piece of design history, and a legacy of one remarkable woman's workshop.

Look for the ear button and yellow tag to distinguish the classic line from licensed products; in Giengen, the museum and factory store together make the pilgrimage.