Toy Inventor Eddy Goldfarb and the Patents Behind His Hits
Eddy Goldfarb sold his first hit, Yakity Yak Talking Teeth, for $900 and licensed everything after. His patents trace a career from wind-up teeth to KerPlunk.
Toy History
Toys and the Amazing Stories Behind Great Inventions
Lincoln Logs, Slinky, Frisbee, Etch A Sketch, and Super Soaker: five famous toy inventions checked against their US patents and the National Toy Hall of Fame.
When Was the First Soft Toy Made? Three Honest Answers
The first soft toy depends on what you count: papyrus-stuffed dolls from Roman Egypt, Steiff’s 1880 felt elephant, or the 1902 plush bear. Here is the record.
Stuffed Animal Evolution Throughout the Years, Inside Out
From straw, felt, and printed cotton to mohair, wood wool, kapok, nylon, and foam, then to ASTM F963 and EU toy rules: how stuffed animals changed inside and out.
Who Invented the First Stuffed Animal? Meet Margarete Steiff
Margarete Steiff sewed the first commercial stuffed animal, a felt elephant, in 1880. Here is how her claim compares with the 1892 Tabby Cat patents and the 1903 Peter Rabbit doll.
The History of Stuffed Animals Is Older Than the Teddy Bear
Papyrus-stuffed dolls from Roman Egypt, Steiff’s felt elephant, printed cloth cats, plush bears, and washable postwar toys: the documented history of stuffed animals, with the dates sources still dispute.
A 1903 Teddy Bear Timeline, From the Hunt to 1909
A dated record of the teddy bear’s first years, from the November 1902 hunt to 1909: the Leipzig order of 1903, the 3,000 missing Steiff bears, and the first production figures.