Soft toys are among the oldest playthings known to man: for instance, a rag doll was found in the tomb of an Ancient Egyptian child. Such finds are rare, however, and the majority of soft toys to be seen today were commercially produced in the last hundred years.

This book outlines the development of the soft toy industry from its origins in late nineteenth-century Germany to its heyday in Britain in the 1920s and 1930s when the English firms of Dean's Rag Book  Company, Chad Valley and Merrythought dominated the industry.

Many different types of manufactured soft toy are described and illustrated, from the cheap printed cut-out toy to the wide range of plush stuffed animals and the exquisitely made felt and velveteen mascot dolls of Lenci and Norah Wellings.

Special sections of the book are devoted to the history of the teddy bear, the golliwog and to soft toys based on popular cartoon characters.

This book is just one of the wide range of products and collectible teddy bears available from Bearly There Yorkshire. We supply collectible teddy bears, books, puzzles and soft toys from many different sources.

Buy from Bearly There Yorkshire with confidence.