How Special is the Steiff Queen Elizabeth II Bear

Whether you’re the newbie collector, who is only at the verge of growing their stash or the pro with all the expertise and their wide array of collectibles, your ears will surely perk up at the sound of the Steiff Queen Elizabeth II Bear. Are you ready to know more about it?

The toy is a special limited edition release in honor and as tribute to the reigning British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, as she officially overtakes the record set by the late Queen Victoria who once was considered as the longest reigning British ruler of all time serving her country and her throne for a whopping sixty three years seven months and two days. To date, Queen Elizabeth not only goes past such milestone and earns the title herself but she prolongs the record even further. In fact, she is also the world’s oldest ruling monarch today at the age of eighty nine.

Now going back to the toy, the Steiff Queen Elizabeth II Bear is a limited release with only two thousand and fifteen pieces manufactured. This is because her majesty the queen achieved the milestone on the 9th of September 2015. It is therefore a rare Steiff product and belongs to the exclusive category. To further stamp this fact, the bear is accompanied by the company’s signature trademark, the button in ear which is gold plated. Plus, it’s got the limited edition fabric tag in white and red.

To portray royalty and regality, the designers dressed up the toy in a regal coronation robe in deep blue. It has a plush dotted edging detail that adds to its charm. Furthermore, a tiara sits atop the teddy bear’s little head with its sparkling crystals.

To keep the classic charm of it all, the toy is made up of white luxurious Schulte mohair making it velvety smooth to the touch matched with an excellent sheen and shine. Its snout is black and the eyes are brown in color.

A very special feature of the Steiff Queen Elizabeth II Bear that any collector will surely love would have to be its musical quality. Yes, it plays a tune off of its chest. When pressed, music will fill the air to the tune of the national anthem, “God Save the Queen”. This can be recognized through the gold embroidery on the toy’s lower paw of a musical staff, a treble clef and notes.

Mistakes in Stuffed Toy Care

Stuffed animals are considered classic pieces in the toy industry. Their undeniable and timeless charm has made them one of the most in demand pieces then and now. In fact, a lot of us have one and that does not only apply to kids but to adults as well who are considered kids at heart. Despite of such fondness for the said toy, a lot of us still commit mistakes in terms of care and maintenance. This is bad news as it can speed up the wear and tear process of your toys. To help get us warned about them, Steiffteddybears.co.uk has the following list for us.

1. Lack of proper storage space

You need to allot ample clean space to house all of your stuffed animals. You can do this in many ways from open shelving, toy cages and bins to name a few. These are particularly useful for children given that they play with them repeatedly. It also makes for ease in cleaning as you will only have to stash them within one container. For collectibles however, you will need a special shelving unit particularly one with glass walls to allow for a great display and at the same time keep them away from dirt.

2. Packing them in plastic under humid conditions

If you need to store them for prolonged periods, it is advised to use either cardboard boxes or plastic bins. Do not by any means store them inside plastic bags especially if the place is humid and is prone to moisture development. That can make the fur rot and smell bad.

3. Improper washing techniques

When washing any stuffed toy whether done by hand or with a machine, see to it that you only make use of lukewarm water. Never by any means use warm or hot as it can cause the color to fade out and any plastic made accessory to melt out. At the same time, only use mild soap with no traces of bleach. When drying you can do it by machine, a hand held dryer at the cool setting or air dried but never hang it up or leave t out in the open sun.

4. Prolonged exposure to heat

As mentioned earlier, heat can cause the fur color to fade out. Any plastic made accessory such as buttons may also melt out alongside the softening of adhesive or glue. This applies not only to the washing process but also to the storage.

Remember the above tips from Steiffteddybears.co.uk to keep your toys all clean and bright!

Where to Shop for Steiff Teddy Bear Collectibles

When it comes to collecting toys, a surefire front runner would have to be Steiff teddy bear collectibles. The long and colorful history together with durability, charm and beauty have earned these toys the honor of being one of the most favorite and highly sought after teddy bear among collectors all over the world. If you are aspiring to be one or are already part of the family, you would obviously want to know where you can score pieces. Below is a list of these places.

·         Vintage Toy Shops

Believe it or not, there are still numerous toy shops that cater to vintage pieces. Here you will find not only Steiff teddy bears but also various other items coming from different decades. If you want success here, it is important that you are fairly knowledgeable so you no mix-ups or “mistaken identity” cases will take place while you shop.

·         Antique Stores

This one is a huge hit or miss. One can never really know what treasures you can find in an antique store. There are hundreds of knickknacks all over but if you’re keen or lucky enough, you might just find one. It doesn’t hurt to pay your local antique shop a visit once in a while.

·         Garage Sales

Many people also dispose their old toys through garage sales. Others even sell old collectibles or pieces owned by previous family members. If a garage sale happens to be near you area try stopping by and taking a look. A Steiff teddy bear might be looking for a new owner.

·         Collectors’ Events

For both amateur and professional collectors, events and gatherings may be held. If there is one near you then don’t hesitate to participate. You can widen your network plus someone might be up to sell one of their collections or even willing to do barter. If not, the worst thing that could happen is you find people with the same hobbies and passion as yours. Not bad right?

·         Auctions

Many of the world’s most expensive and sought after Steiff collectibles are being sold at auctions. A lot of limited edition items often end up here so if you are up for those then you might fancy attending one.

·         World Wide Web

Thanks to the internet, you can already shop for Steiff teddy bear collectibles online. It’s easier, faster and more convenient. Just keep your guard up because fraudsters are everywhere even in cyberspace.

Keeping Your Stuffed Animals Away from Gunk and Clutter

As children most of us had stuffed animals for toys. As a matter of fact, even as adults a lot of us still find them endearing. Others even collect them as a hobby and as an entrepreneurial venture. Do know that a lot of toys actually have huge values on them. Of course these are the limited edition ones with so much history in them. Now we all want to keep these stuffed furry animal friends for a long time and to do that, cleaning and regular upkeep are necessary. Worry not about such feat as Steiffteddybears.co.uk is here to help us keep our stuffed animals away from gunk and clutter!

Get to know the toys you have. It is important for you to know how each item has to be taken care of. They aren’t made of the same materials after all. At the same time some of them may have certain features and accessories that need special tending. It is wise to read the care and washing instructions found on their tags. Should that be absent, a little internet search should do the trick.

Provide proper storage as well. If the stuffed toys are often played with as is with children, keeping them in a box with a lid or a shelving unit would be practical as they would often be used and taken out. If they are collectables then high shelving especially those with glass doors are best to keep dust and dirt from settling. If you plan on keeping them stored for a long time, avoid placing them in plastic bags as that can create moisture and encourage rotting of the toy’s fur or air.

Give them some rub-a-dub-dub. Be sure to wash them when needed. This will depend on use. To keep it safe only use mild soap and lukewarm water. Place it in a mesh bag or pillow case before dropping it in your washing machine to keep any accessories from getting lost should their adhesive or stitch loosen up. When drying keep it away from any amount of hit as that could fade out colors.

Bring them to a toy hospital. Should your stuffed animals be in pretty bad shape, getting them to a toy repair shop would be wise says the team at Steiffteddybears.co.uk. They not only will provide the repairs needed but they too will eradicate all the gunk and dirt from the toys.

 

Common Cleaning Mistakes for Your Teddy Bears

Most adults would agree that as kids, one had a specific favorite when it comes to their toys. Even the kids of today are often seen carrying their most treasured item among their humungous pile. In most cases, the toys that we love ever so dearly are teddy bears. They are a definite classic when it comes to this department and so are other stuffed animals. One has to admit however that the teddy bear trumps them all to a certain degree.

This then makes teddy bears as the most played with item and therefore ends up as the dirtiest at the end of the day. It’s pretty safe to clean and wash these toys but there are still common mistakes that people commit when giving them some spa treatment cleaning spree. Read on so you know what to avoid.

Mistake # 1: Washing without knowledge. There are toys that have washing specifications. Others can be safely tossed into your washing machine. Some need to be hand washed and there too are those that should only be dry-cleaned. Check for the tags and labels of the manufacturer for proper guidance.

Mistake # 2: Forgetting to protect the toy. If machine washing is okay to be done then see to it that you place your teddy bear inside a pillow case or a mesh bag. This is done so as to prevent any accessories, ribbons or buttons from being lost and from clogging up the machine should they detach. It also pads up the toy from the bumps.

Mistake # 3: Hanging it up for air drying. It is safe to air dry your toy but make sure to drain it from all the water first or else it becomes much too heavy. The weight will cause sagging if not rips.

Mistake # 4: Letting it soak up some sun to dry. This is bad for the toy’s hair or fur as the heat exposure can make it lose out and fade its color. Also some accessories can melt out and be deformed. Remember to avoid this at all costs.

Mistake # 5: Not bringing it to a professional when you need to. Some toys are dirty and damaged beyond repair. Others on the other hand are special collector’s pieces. You might want to bring them to a professional cleaner to get rid of the dirt and the bugs that might be lurking inside the teddy bears’ stuffing. Some toys need special care every once in a while and attempting to do it on your own might cause more damage than good.