In 1907, five years after inventing the teddy bear, Richard Steiff made his first ever black bear. It was exquisite, both in terms of the design and the quality of its stitching, and it would become the prototype for Steiff’s subsequent black bears for almost fifty years.
Only one year later, in 1908, six distinctive coloured bears in red, blue, green, pink, yellow and black were commissioned for the illustrious London department store, Harrods. They were to be put on display for the world to see, intending to capture both the hearts and minds of the public. However, four of these bears never reached their destination. The pink, yellow, green and black bears were seemingly lost, never be seen again…until now!
Amazingly, a couple of years ago, a passionate Steiff collector with extensive knowledge and a keen eye for detail, discovered the missing black bear. His owners had called him “Bruno”, and they had no idea of his history. Now he can be reintroduced to the world once more.
In celebration of his rediscovery, Steiff have created a perfect replica of “Bruno” in every detail. Masterfully crafted of the finest black mohair, he is stuffed with wood wool shavings, has a traditional humpback, long inward curving paws, distinctive red stitched claws and virtually unique double mouth stitching just like the original prototype from 1907 leading Steiff to believe that “Bruno” was made by Richard Steiff himself!
He’s fully jointed and even features a traditional growler – just tilt him gently from front to back to hear his friendly growl! He proudly displays his own vintage Steiff button-in-ear and a special replica tag which is an exact copy of the original.
Only 1,908 bears can ever be made, in honour of the year that the original bear was commissioned for Harrods. Once they are gone no more can ever be produced, ensuring this precious bear’s permanent rarity as a collector’s item.
Item #:UK-ST08RB
