Whether it’s your favourite panda bear, yogi bear, or even winnie the pooh bear, teddy bears have taken the world by storm and are among some of the most popular gift items for children around the world. The history of the teddy bear is rich and varied. People across Europe, as well as the United States, have been interested in designing and developing teddy bears for over a century now.
Raw materials used
Originally, a special fur-like fabric also used for upholstery was used to make teddy bears. The eyes were made with black leather shoe buttons. Wooden disks and cotter pins were used to attach the head, legs, and arms all of which were separately made and attached to the body later. In some cases, the more cost-effective option was to simply sew the arms and legs into the body of the teddy bears.
Today, there are several different kinds of fabric used to manufacture teddy bears. These fibres are combined with an array of stuffing materials like synthetics, nylon, rayon, silk, or wool. To add the softness to the body of teddy bears in Australia, velvet, or velveteen, which is a velvet-like material made of cotton instead of synthetics or silk is widely used. Other fabric types such as velour, terry cloth, calico, denim, and corduroy are also widely used to manufacture teddy bears. Felt, leather, and suede – both synthetic and natural – make the paws and feet of the bears while embroidery floss or threads are used for specific features such as noses.
For special edition or decorated teddy bears, a wide range of decorations, fasteners, ribbons, and fabrics may be used.
The design processes
First, an experienced artist sketches the new model for the teddy bear. In this process, pieces of the bear are also drawn based on the initial conception or the sketch of the bear. The finalized pattern for the teddy bear in Sydney is then cut out and assembled to be examined for design flaws or inconsistencies. If needed the entire design is redrawn, pieces or shapes are changed, and the colour is altered too in some cases to finalize the prototype. Before the large-scale manufacturing of teddy bears can begin, many such trials need to be conducted. In many cases, the design process considers the local flavours and preferences as well.
The manufacturing steps
Once the design is finalized the process of mass manufacture of the teddy bears in Australia starts. It consists of the following steps:
The final design is made into a blueprint from which the shapes are cut out and attached to the finalized fabric. Rows of workers sitting behind industrial sewing machines are assigned one bear style each. First, the small pieces are assembled, then the facial features including the eyes, and finally the parts are stitched together.
The stitched bear is then stuffed with dual density fibre – one thicker, and slightly wavier, and the other very fine. The stuffing material is fluffed using a picker and then blown into a stuffing machine using air. The stuffing goes inside the bear with the help of air pressure through a narrow tube. The bear has moved around so that the stuffing gets inside all the pieces and parts of a winnie the pooh bear. The stuffing machine is fitted with a pedal that controls the puff of the stuffing.
And finally, the puffed-up bear is transferred to the final worker who stitches up the opening at the back, grooms the entire bear, and removes any loose fuzz. Final details like ribbons, costumes, and other accessories are added before sending out.
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