UK soft toy guides

Know more about the soft toys on your shelf.

Practical guides for UK soft toy collectors and the people who buy for them.

Illustration of teddy bears, a knitted fox, an owl and a floppy-eared dog on a sunlit wooden shelf

History

History of the Teddy Bear: Two Origins and What Is Documented

The teddy bear has two origin stories, in the US and Germany, both around 1902-03. This guide sets out what the sources document and what stays unconfirmed.

Read the guide

Illustration of a worn jointed toy bear sitting beside a small wooden crate and a folded cloth on a shelf

Illustration of a plain soft toy rabbit sitting beside a folded document and a stack of blank paper tags

HistoryWho Owns Jellycat? Ownership, Founding Date and Where It Is MadeA plain reading of the public record on who owns Jellycat, when the brand began, who runs it and where its toys are made, with every source dated.Read the guide

How we write these.

Sources listed

Every guide lists the sources behind its factual claims.

Dates shown

Every guide shows when it was checked, because stock and status change.

Gaps admitted

We say what we could not verify, and do not claim to have tested toys we have not. About us