Founded in 1880 by Margarete Steiff and still active, this company makes high-quality soft toys. Steiff suffered from almost total paralysis and had only limited movement of her right arm and hand. Despite this, she went to school and trained as a seamstress, working first with her sisters and then alone. Starting with handmade felt animal figures, she created a company that was soon exporting all around the world. In 1902, Steiff designed the first teddy bear with articulated legs and arms, and by 1906 she was exporting her creations massively all over Europe and to the USA. Today, the Steiff Museum, in Giengen an der Brenz (Germany), recounts the history of the firm. In this area we display a selection of various models of the firm’s soft toys made between 1927 and 1972.

Don Osito Marquina, the best-loved toy of Anna Maria and Salvador Dalí, was made by Steiff in 1910.