Steiff + Pandas = Perfect!

A brief history: 

In Germany during the latter part of the nineteenth century, Margarete Steiff founded what became the most famous name associated with Teddy Bears. She was born in 1847, but contracted polio as a very young child and this resulted in her being confined to a wheelchair. By the late 1800s she had a substantial business with numerous employees and out-workers, selling her little felt toys.


Margarete produced the first ever jointed bears in 1902, utilizing the designs of her nephew, Richard Steiff. These early bears were made of mohair, stuffed with wood wool and had boot button eyes. The limbs were long and the pads were of felt. Richard then displayed these new bears during the Leipzig Toy Fair, 1903, unfortunately yielding little European based interest. However, it was towards the end of the fair where George Borgfeldt, of New York, took particular interest in Richard Steiff's teddy bears, consequently placing a substantial order and marking a real turning point for the company. In 1904, the famous Steiff button in the ear was developed as their trademark. When still present on old bears, these help in many ways to identify the age of the bear.By 1907 the company was international, with over two thousand workers and producing near two million toys each year.

[The website 'Steiff Shop' provides a much more comprehensive chronology detailing Steiff's history, have a read by clicking HERE!] 

Categorizing the contemporary Steiff collection: 

Original Collection - Every original Steiff animal with the world-famous trademark, the Steiff "Button in Ear", shows that it comes from one of the best families - and every Steiff Teddy bear and Steiff animal proudly wears an ear tag as a clearly recognisable identification. Both big and small Steiff fans immediately recognise the yellow Steiff ear tag with red writing. It shows that this is one of the many, wonderful animals and Teddy bears from the wide, unlimited Steiff assortment - an unmistakable original from the famous company with a long-standing tradition. 

Limited Edition - All the animals and Teddy bears at Steiff are very pleased ti receive the extraordinary distinction of the white ear tag with red writing because these are produced in a limited edition. This means that only a limited number is available and some are available only in certain countries. Each of these limited edition Steiff animals wth the white ear tag and the gold-plated "Button in Ear" also brings his new owner a certificate that insures the authenticity and special status as a limited edition Steiff  animal. 

Replica - The Teddy bears and animals of the replica series by Steiff are a very special and extraordinary species. This means that these true-to-original animals are reproduced exactly according to their historic role models from the Steiff product history. All Steiff replicas have a white ear tag with black writing the document their special status and the true-to-original "Button in Ear" from the retrospective year of production. This outstanding distinction lets Steiff friends, fans and collectors know that this is a particularly limited edition Steiff animal with extraordinary, historic character.

Steiff and the 'Panda Baer'

Steiff's first Panda Bear was born in 1938, produced in 15cm and 30cm sizes through until 1942. Notably, due to the fact Steiff pandas had flat, broad feet (a feature uncharacteristic of most other Steiff bear designs), the primary panda populace were able to stand on their own.  

The enthusiasm with which the first panda was met spurred Steiff to produce more once the factory reopened in the late 1940s. However, this initial pre-war panda was only produced in 30cm though 1950. In 1951 the design was updated and started producing it in 15, 22, 28, 35, 43, and 50 cm. The company used a suede-like grey rubber material instead of felt on this panda’s paws and soles from 1956 onward. This newer panda pattern, also a collector’s favorite, was in the line until 1961.

Steiff baby panda (15cm), 1950s - £350

For sale at Sue Pearson: Bears & Bygones. Follow the link HERE!

Currently available from Steiff: 

'Pummy' Masterpiece Panda - £201.95
A Steiff Limited Edition, bearing the extraordinary distinction of white ear and gold plated "button in ear"tag, a marker of the products exclusivity, and made from luxurious alpaca wool.
Masterpiece Edition - The very best of the best. This is what Steiff strives for when they create the Masterpiece Editions. Only the most experienced, talented craftsmen are allowed to work on these special pieces. That's how Steiff are able to achieve such a high level of quality and realism. And Steiff believe their new Panda Masterpiece edition is one of the finest they've produced so far. Just look at his delightful face! His smile is guaranteed to make you smile! Made from luxurious alpaca, this black and white beauty is weighted with pellets to make him especially huggable. His feet and paw pads are individually stitched for added authenticity. For collectors of the Masterpiece Series and lovers of pandas, this is truly the ultimate Steiff collectible. 

EAN NUMBER:	036590
Colour:	Black/ White
Size:	37cm
Age Range:	3 years and upwards
Washable:	Surface Washable
Special notes:	Limited Edition, Limited to 2,000 pieces Worldwide, Jointed

EAN NUMBER:

036590

Colour:

Black/ White

Size:

37cm

Age Range:

3 years and upwards

Washable:

Surface Washable

Special notes:

Limited Edition, Limited to 2,000 pieces Worldwide, Jointed

Teddy Bear Panda - £141.95
A Steiff Limited Edition, bearing the extraordinary distinction of white ear and gold plated "button in ear"tag, a marker of the products exclusivity, and made from luxurious alpaca wool.

EAN NUMBER:	036538
Colour:	Black/ White
Size:	26cm
Age Range:	3 years and upwards
Washable:	Surface Washable
Special notes:	Limited Edition, Limited to 2008, Jointed

Alpaca Panda with Bamboo - £65.00
A Steiff Limited Edition, bearing the extraordinary distinction of white ear and gold plated "button in ear" tag, a marker of the products exclusivity, and made from luxurious alpaca wool.

EAN NUMBER:	037313
Colour:	Black/ White
Size:	10 cm
Age Range:	3 years and upwards
Washable:	Surface Washable
Special notes:	Limited Edition, 3000 pieces.

Alpaca Panda Ted - £39.00
 A member of the 'Bear Teds' range, and made from luxurious alpaca wool, this jointed, life-like 'panda ted' also bears the world famous trademark, yellow tag, 'button in ear', red writing, which provides instant authenticity.

EAN NUMBER:	039423
Colour:	Black/ White
Size:	10 cm
Age Range:	3 years and upwards
Washable:	Surface Washable

Jointed Panda - £123.95
Part of the Steiff Original Collection, made of the natural and beautiful fibre mohair (itself used in the production of Steiff animals and Teddy bears since 1901) and bearing the world famous trademark, yellow tag, 'button in ear', red writing, which provides instant authenticity. 

EAN NUMBER:	039690
Colour:	Black/White
Size:	35cm
Age Range:	3 years and upwards
Washable:	Surface Washable

Manschli Panda - £39.95
Part of the Steiff Original Collection, made of cuddly plush for baby soft skin and bearing the world famous trademark, yellow tag, 'button in ear', red writing, which provides instant authenticity. 

EAN NUMBER:	064784
Colour:	Black and White
Size:	25cm
Age Range:	3 years and upwards
Washable:	Machine washable at 30C

Lying Manschli Panda - £27.95
Part of the Steiff Original Collection, made of cuddly soft woven fur and bearing the world famous trademark, yellow tag, 'button in ear', red writing, which provides instant authenticity. 

EAN NUMBER:	280139
Colour:	Black
Size:	22cm
Age Range:	3 years and upwards
Washable:	Machine washable at 30C

Manschli Riding Panda - £384.95
Part of the Steiff Original Collection, made of cuddly soft woven fur and bearing the world famous trademark, yellow tag, 'button in ear', red writing, which provides instant authenticity. 

EAN NUMBER:	048975
Colour:	Black/ White
Size:	70cm
Age Range:	3 years and upwards
Washable:	Surface Washable

Panda on Wheels (1938) - £369.00
The hearty panda with the cuddly soft fur made of finest mohair, firm stuffing made of wood shavings, glass eyes and his impressive pull-string voice is another wonderful piece in the Steiff pull-toy animal series that found its way to the court of King Wilhelm II in 1911. The panda on wheels proudly "bears" the underscored ,"Button in Ear" made of patinated steel and rolls in a Limited Edition of 1,000 pieces into the hearts of his fans. 

EAN NUMBER:	400452
Colour:	Black/ White
Size:	50cm
Age Range:	3 years and upwards
Washable:	Surface Washable
Special notes:	Limited Edition, Limited to 1,000 pieces Worldwide

Sources:

Just Teddies

Bear Gallery
Steiff Shop
Steiff Bears
Sue Pearson: Bears & Bygones

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/steiff-i-love-vintage-panda-bears/

Margaret Fox Mandel, Teddy Bears & Steiff Animals, (Collector Books, U.S., 1984) 

"Giant panda victim of bad weather" - Huang Zhiling (China Daily)

A wild giant panda drowned amid heavy rain in Sichuan Province, according to local forestry authorities.

Local villagers carry the body of a wild giant panda which drowned amid heavy rain in the township of Yingxiu in south-west China's Sichuan province on July 5, 2011

An examination by veterinarians from the Wolong Nature Reserve in the county did not find any obvious external wounds on the male panda that was likely around 10 years old.

The autopsy found a considerable amount of water in the animal's lungs, said Zhang Hemin, chief of the reserve's administrative bureau.

He said the results of the autopsy, coupled with the circumstances of the panda's discovery, led him to rule out the possibility that humans had killed the animal.

He said it is probable that it drowned in the recent rainstorms and was washed out of its habitat into the Yingxiu section of the Minjiang River, a tributary of the Yangtze River.

Vets believe the panda had been dead for two or three days when it was found in Zipingpu Reservoir, which is fed by the Minjiang River.

The animal was found by a villager from Yingxiu who was checking his cornfields on Tuesday morning, according to the Sichuan provincial department of forestry.

Recent rainstorms and mudslides have wreaked havoc in many of Sichuan's nature reserves, damaging vegetation and infrastructure in both the Wolong and Anzihe reserves, the department said.

It promised to patrol sites affected by mudslides and offer timely help to wild animals, including pandas.

According to the State Forestry Administration, about 1,600 pandas live in the wild worldwide.

The rainstorms and mudslides have taken their toll on humans. In Sichuan, 29,000 households have been without power since Monday as a result of heavy rain that lashed Wangcang county, said a county government spokesman.

The weather has damaged all 20 schools in the county and 130 square meters of school buildings have completely collapsed while another 9,560 sq m are in danger of collapsing, he said.

Three residents from the county were reported missing after the rainstorms.

'Giant Panda Project Update' - Edinburgh Zoo's official press release

As previously documented, pandimonium has been persistant in Edinburgh Zoo's panda project, the countdown to the arrival of two special guests being marred by uncertainity, criticsm and speculation (particularly, it seems, by Scottish national press). HOWEVER, in an active attack against opposition parties, RZSS issued an affirmative statement, calling for speculation to be quelled, as "it is very much business as usual on plans to bring a pair of breeding pandas to Edinburgh Zoo later this year."

The statement reads as follows (or to view at source click HERE):

"The agreement to bring the pandas to Edinburgh was signed at the highest level by the RZSS and our priority is to ensure that everything is in place for their arrival. Our teams of highly qualified and committed keepers, conservation and operational staff are fully advanced in developing all aspects of the project. The new enclosure is well underway and our research collaboration with the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association is agreed. We will be welcoming a delegation from China, possibly in May, when we will be showing them the enclosure and finalising details for the pandas’ transportation and acclimatisation at Edinburgh Zoo. Around the same time, a team from Edinburgh Zoo will be going back out to China to continue the process of learning more about panda behaviour and care from the experts at the Bifengxia Panda Base in Ya’an where Tian Tian and Yang Guang are now being cared for.

 

The Giant Panda Project is important not just for Edinburgh Zoo, but for Scotland and, indeed, the UK. Recent internal issues at the Zoo have no bearing on the operational aspects of the Giant Panda project. Edinburgh Zoo remains committed to delivering the world-class collaboration that we have agreed with China and we will continue to liaise closely with the Chinese authorities at every level."

Lost images: 2010

F.A.C.T: all pandas do love Chris.

A homemade ink-on-foot homage...

As pandas are sweet they might as well deodourize...

A little known tidbit: a pandas natural scent will negate any unwanted wiff!

Why, ever, need go barefoot....?

My (growing) panda wall..

A Portrait of a Panda: by Louise Cattell, a 22nd birthday present

I dream of pandas...

The story so far: Edinburgh Zoo & the advent of Tian Tian and Yangguang

An new year overview and introduction:

With 2011 getting into full swing so the excitement over the first panda pair in 17 years to reside in the United Kingdom mounts, and if we feel this way as January gives way to February, then imagine the fever pitch excitement due come early Summer.

Scotland, naturally, has taken an ardent interest in presenting to the public the pandas progress: from mere application, to certified agreement, the announcement came that the celebrity couple, Tian Tian and Yangguang, will be taking residency in their new luxury pad within Edinburgh Zoo the latter part of 2011. In particular, Scotsman.com, whom provide daily coverage of Scottish news, sports and business headlines, are making assured the expectant public have a thoroughly comprehensive knowledge of what Emma Cowing dubs, in her 16th January 2011 article 'Bear necessities: how to pander to a panda', "two of the rarest and most exotic bears on the planet". Indeed, within the space of 6 weeks the newsbearer have provided no less than three articles covering the pandas story. Firstly, Emma Cowing's aforementioned article gives pertinent information into how pandas, and consequently Tian Tian and Yangguang, exist in captivity, and the manner in which Edinburgh zoo will thoroughly address important issues such as breeding, feeding, enclosure design and general care. Secondly, dating 24th January 2011 and written by Victoria Raimes, any developments that come to light in the 'panda pair's progression' are fervently reported: 'Pandas to arrive early if zoo has bare necessities'. Also on this strain it appears the publicity generation by the pandas has placed Edinburgh Zoo under particular scrutiny, presently seen in the 6th February 2011 article by Mark Smith and Craig Brown entitled 'Zoo at risk over animal welfare concerns': unsavory reports filed by inspectors in September conclude that the zoo had not tackled important issues flagged up to five years previously. Specifically FOUR areas were identitfied within which marked improvements had to be seen: 1) improving the big cat's enclosure 2) modernizing and improving the sea lion enclosure 3) address concerns with the sanitation of the zoo's main food store, especial in regard of vermin investation and finally 4) developing the zoo's vetinary hospital.

Naturally, with the advent of two popular, albeit sensitive and expensive, new residents, concern over the zoo's management are being brought to the public attention, in particular by the Captive Animals' Protection Society, the organization that, under freedom of information legislation, made the outcome of the September report public knowledge.

Liz Tyson, director of the Captive Animals' Protection Society, which applied or the reports, said: "We would argue that the agreement to bring the pandas to the UK when a report from less than six months ago raised the same concerns as in 2006 is extremely worrying. This is particularly true when considering that the inspectors explicitly warn that it is difficult to see how the conditions of the licence will be met in time for the renewal in 2012."

Caring for Tian Tian and Yangguang: a Zoos responsibility, Edinburgh's agenda and the public position:

Despite a worry inspectors report only 4 months ago Tian Tian and Yangguang's arrival has been confirmed as imminent. Consequently, efforts dating as far back as 2008, when Edinburgh Zoo initially approached China to be considered as a suitable host for one of Chinas most culturally significant treasures, have not been in vain: agricultural initiatives which have been in effect since the 2008 application (i.e. Scottish production of bamboo on Edinburgh's Corstorphine Hill) can be utilized accordingly, whilst in the same stroke design and planning initiatives, most pertinently the conversion of the old gorilla enclosure into a double sized, panda friendly paradise, now need to be implemented - furthermore, it is dependent on the speed with which this £200k renovation takes as to when the breeding pair shall move in.

The enclosure itself will aim to have all the features necessary to, not simply mimic their homeland (with, for example, high climbing frames and mature trees), but to also cater for the myriad of well known difficulties a panda will face, not simply 'as a panda' but circumstantial to a life carved out of captivity. Zoo officials claim that Chinese officials are "95 per cent" happy with renovation plans.

In January Scotsman.com's Emma Cowing provided a useful overview of 'how to pander to a panda': what is required in order to not only successfully house these animals but to also achieve breeding targets as specified in the agreement with China. Such areas to be aware of are:

BREEDING

To be blunt the panda procreation process can merely be described flawed at best. First of all the female is only fertile for several days a year and within this period it is not uncommon for her to be particularly picky over a suitable mate. Secondly, moving to the male of the species, it is not uncommon for a male panda to exhibit coyness if approached by a mate, with a shyness so crippling as to literally endanger the entire species. Finally, as if such shortcomings weren't serious enough predicaments for pandas living in the wild, it is noted that captivity consequently erodes any previously harboured notion of mating within the panda population. Institutions which are honoured with a breeding couple, such as Edinburgh's to-be Tian Tian and Yangguang, also come to bear the responsibility to effect successful breeding programmes. For example, in 2006 Thailand's Chiang Mai Zoo, in a move to 'encourage' male pandas, showed the animals inspiration 'panda porn'. In the year 2000 China also admitted to giving male pandas viagra, for with male pandas only averaging a 30 second window of opportunity to successfully mate, the notion was an increased time frame would improve successful. The effort, however, did not prove fruitful. Fear not, however, or 2009 marked the birth of the first panda cub successfully born in China through artificial semination using frozen sperm. As a consequence the breeding programmes at San Diego and Mexico zoos hope to follow suit.

Dietry Requirements

The 'panda diet' is world famous, more reknown than any celebrity fad and much easier to stick too, or at least that's the preconception! Yes, pandas do pretty much soley survive on eating bamboo, consuming, on average, a staggering 30lbs a day which can take up to 16 hours of the day. However, it's not as simple as 'pandas eat bamboo', they are notoriously fussy eaters, changing their mind without due cause as to which variety of bamboo most suits their palette. Indeed, keepers have noted that a pandas favourite dish can change within the space of a week, deciding never to eat it again!