We have a fantastic range of products from the German teddy bear manufacture, Kosen Bears. The company have been producing soft toys for over 100 years now and have become a firm favourite among collectors and teddy bear fans alike.

Let’s a little look at the history of Kosen Bears.

Kosen Bears – The Early Days

Kosen Bears was originally a doll-making company, founded by Käthe Kruse in 1911/12. Their first workshop, in Bad Kösen, Germany, employed around 100 people to produce Kruses’ world-famous dolls.

In 1949, Kruse left Bad Kösen to set up a new company in Donauwörth together with her children. This left the company sitting in administration for a brief period after World War Two, however it was saved in 1953 and was nationalised by People’s Enterprises (VEB) Doll-Making Workshops.

It wasn’t until 1958, at the Leipzig Trade Fair, that we saw plush animals from the company. They were so popular that Kosen had to increase production in order to meet the demand for their plush animals. Such was the success of the animals, the doll production ceased in 1964.

The company was renamed five years later and become VEB Kösener Spielzeug. At this time up to 80% of the plush animal production was exported and the number of employees, mainly women, grew to 195.

For the next 10 years, the company would work closely with Burg Giebichenstein from the College of Art and Design in Halle. This partnership led to several creative products coming to life and brought some more designers to the company.

Dawn of the Lifelike Plush Animals

Unfortunately, due to the fall of the Iron Curtain, the company’s markets virtually disappeared overnight, and they had no real hope of survival. Briefly, Margarete Steiff showed interest in purchasing the company, however after two year of co-operation she decided against it.

In 1992, a local company (Schache) stepped in and saved the company from extinction. It was from this moment onward that the company focused solely on producing high quality, lifelike plush animals.

Kosen Bears began to develop their own distinctive style, which several new designs being created. In 2000, Kosen acquired the Silke brand, a collection of high quality textile dolls and animals for infants and toddlers. Production was relocated from Munich to Bad Kosen where the collection was further developed.

Production

Since they were saved by Dr. Schache’s company, Kosen Bears have gone on to receive multiple design awards and take plenty of care in the production of their products. Please see the following production statement, taken from the official website:

“When deciding about materials and production, we place great emphasis on quality and safety. We firmly believe that only the best is good enough for children and collectors. Our products comply with EN71 and carry the CE mark. TÜV Thuringia carries out stringent tests, not only of our products, but also of our manufacturing processes. All our materials are sourced in the EU and all our products are still 100% made in Germany.”

Fans of Kosen Bears can visit the factory in Bad Kösen and go on a tour. You can even stay in their own hotel, The Mutiger Ritter, which is located across from the factory.

Our Range

We have a great range of products from Kosen Bears. We offer some of their very best collections, including:

• Arctic Animals.
• Wild Animals.
• Wild Bears.
• Dogs.
• Farm Animals.

Take a look through our store today and find your perfect companion.