By Sharon Whitley Larsen
As I stood looking at a life-size replica of Margarete Steiff — creator of the world-famous, collectible Steiff bears — I was intrigued to learn more of her story. I was touring the Toy Worlds Museum (Spielzeug Welten Museum) in Basel, Switzerland, home to the world's largest collection of teddy bears. This four-story building in the heart of Basel is comprised of toys on steroids with more than 6,000 items assaulting the senses.
But the museum's brief English description of Steiff — a mannequin of her tucked away in a corner, dressed in black and sitting at a desk, accompanied by a German film documentary — inspired me to research her life. Most of us have heard of her exquisitely crafted, expensive, handmade toy bears (and other animals), even if we didn't own one as a child.
Born in Giengen, Germany, in 1847, Steiff contracted polio at 18 months. Despite medical treatment, she remained partially paralyzed and weakened, mostly on one side, and she had to use a wheelchair the rest of her life.
She didn't let her affliction stop her, however. She excelled in school and was cheerful and popular. Later she took sewing lessons, bought a sewing machine and became an expert seamstress. She overcame the challenge presented by her disability by using the sewing machine backward, turning the wheel and guiding the fabric with her right hand to make dresses for children and adults.
One day she saw a pattern for a little elephant in a magazine and decided to make it out of felt and wool as a pincushion. People loved them.
When a nephew suggested that she create a soft, cuddly bear (since toys back then were mostly made of porcelain, sheet metal or wood), she did just that. She moved her business from her parents' home to various factories as it expanded, employing young mothers who could bring their babies to work. Known as a generous, kind employer, she also created other cuddly animals, including dogs and donkeys. (Tigers, monkeys, rabbits and other animals and toys came later.) Many Steiff toys were introduced at the internationally renowned Leipzig toy fair in 1894.
Then after U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear on a hunting trip in 1902, a series of "Teddy's Bear" cartoons showing a cute bear cub appeared in the Washington Post, causing a "teddy bear" craze. In 1903 an American toy-seller ordered 3,000 Steiff bears, greatly boosting the business.
Another nephew took a sample bear to the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, where it was a hit and won the grand prize. The "bear year" was heralded in 1907, when more than 400 full-time employees and 1,800 home workers produced nearly a million bears.
"The best is just good enough for our children," was Steiff's motto, even though she never married or had children of her own. She died in 1909 at age 61.
This magical Basel museum, which showcases the largest collection of antique Steiff bears, was opened in 1998 by Roche pharmaceutical heir Gigi Oeri to house her vast collection of dollhouses, toys and bears. She bought the former carpet store to share her collection with the public and restored it from top to bottom, said my guide, Annelies Bachle.
"What I like about this museum is that it was made with great care and love," she said.
It houses not only 2,500 bears from various countries (the oldest circa 1904) but also more than 1,000 dolls from the early 19th century. Included is Neapolitan folk art, exquisite dollhouses, motorized carousels (the oldest circa 1900) and amazingly detailed period miniatures. Various scenes that include grocers' shops, schools, kitchens and doctors' offices from the 1880s to 1920s show visitors how life was back then. Some of these toys were made by well-known artists, others by retired engineers, handymen or husbands tinkering with their hobbies in the workroom.
Twice annually special temporary exhibits appear on the third floor —"a museum within a museum." The day I visited it was exquisite Japanese porcelain dolls; next up is "History Under Your Feet: 3,000 Years of Shoes." The display windows on this 1867 corner building are changed several times a year, delighting passers-by, especially during the holidays. There's also a small gift shop with unique handbags and jewelry —and, of course, bears, dolls and other toys made by various artisans. In some massive glass display cases bears come to life in race cars (as others cheer them on), at picnics or in school, as well as on circus carousels with lights flashing and objects twirling — all at the push of a button.
At the museum, which awards a special commission to artists from different countries, I learned that dollhouses date to 1558, when Albrecht V, Duke of Bavaria, ordered a miniature copy of his royal residence for his daughter but then kept it for himself. Subsequently wealthy families got the idea during the 17th and 18th centuries to have copies made of their own mansions. The idea took off, with toy dollhouses commercially produced in the 19th century remaining popular today with little girls around the world.
"The nice thing about this toy museum is that you're reminded of your past," Bachle said. "Older people tell me all kinds of stories."
Some of the donated toys were once owned by famous folks or played with by children generations ago; others were carved or made by craftsmen for display only.
"It is so full of lovely details," Bachle said.
It's no surprise that such a museum — the largest of its kind in Europe — is here in Basel, a historic, cultural city (the country's third largest) of 180,000 bordering France and Germany on the fairy-tale Rhine River. Known as the "Cultural Heart of Switzerland," Basel boasts art galleries, fabulous architecture, theaters, concerts, outdoor cafes, pastry shops, marvelous restaurants and more than 30 museums.
Credited for opening the country's first university in 1460 (currently with 11,000 students), Basel is well-known today for chemistry, biomed studies, economics and art. This pharmaceutical center also hosts the annual Basler Fasnacht carnival, "where the cultural, political and social events of the past year are presented in verse and painted on giant painted lanterns," said American Cate Austin, who divides her time between Indian Wells, California, and here.
"According to the topics chosen, the different groups (cliques) create special costumes and masks, and the whole thing is accompanied by drumming and flute piping," she said. "A real Basler would say that these carnival days are the highlight of the year. Basel is a very relaxed and fun city."
Throughout Basel are 190 exquisite fountains (you can drink cool, refreshing water from most of them), and it's fun to stroll around the charming cobblestoned Old Town. In front of the colorful, dramatic Town Hall in the main shopping district is a daily marketplace where locals purchase flowers, cheese, fruit, baskets, plants, coffee, honey and jam. One city gate dates from 1398, yet contemporary architecture is popular. Public transportation makes it so easy to get around, and many river cruise ships stop here.
"We do have a lot of tourists from the United States," Christine Waelti of Basel Tourism told me over a delicious terrace lunch at the popular Atlantis Restaurant. "They start or end the river cruises here and stay for a few days."
I can see why.
WHEN YOU GO
Toy Worlds Museum (Spielzeug Welten Museum):
www.toy-worlds-museum-basle.ch. The "History Under Your Feet: 3,000 Years of Shoes" exhibit will run from Oct. 18, 2014, to April 6, 2015.
Rhine River lunch cruise: Basler Personenschifffahrt, www.bpg.ch
Hotel Bildungszentrum 21: www.bz21.ch or www.bildungszentrum21.ch/welcome/?L=2
Restaurant Atlantis: www.atlan-tis.ch
Restaurant zum Gifthuttli (historic Old Town restaurant serving typical Swiss dishes): www.gifthuettli.ch
Basler Fasnacht: www.fasnachts-comite.ch/en/carnival/general
For general information: www.basel.com and
www.myswitzerland.com
Rail Europe: www.raileurope.com
Sharon Whitley Larsen is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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