Reflections of the Past

Steiff bear from 1904

The PB Rod Bear introduced in 1904 by Steiff is one of the oldest documented teddy bears known. P stands for "plush" and B stands for "beweglich" which is German for "movable". The PB Rod bear takes his name from the unusual jointing technique, which consisted of metal rods passing through the body to hold it together. These rods are clearly seen on Xrays of the bear . However, these bears were not very popular with children because the metal rods, together with the tightly packed woodwool and kapok stuffing, made the bears much less cuddly and heavy for the children. This design was used only in the years 1904 and 1905, before new jointing techniques were developed and used.