Misplaced Pages

#392607

38-562: The factory manufactured stuffed toys and licensed plastic dolls primarily intended for export to the United States and other developed countries. The toys were produced for Disney , Mattel , and others. The factory was on Phutthamonthon Sai 4 Road, in the Sam Phran District of Nakhon Pathom Province. The structures that were destroyed in the blaze were all owned and operated directly by Kader Industrial (Thailand). Kader Industrial

76-520: A "Pattern for an elephant and blanket" that was intended to be a child's toy. Two years later, the first known commercially available stuffed felt elephant originally sold as a pincushion , was made by Margarete Steiff , founder of the German Steiff company in 1880, using the Delinator pattern. Steiff used newly developed technology for manufacturing upholstery to make its stuffed toys. In 1892,

114-559: A 3,000-piece order was placed by a buyer in America after the "teddy bear" craze began due to a popular cartoon of President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt and a young cub in The Washington Post in 1902. By 1907, Steiff manufactured 974,000 bears, and the company has been increasing its output ever since. In 1912, in the aftermath of the Titanic disaster that left Britain in mourning,

152-427: A British toy retailer ordered black Steiff teddy bears to bring comfort to the public. They did not sell very well and production was soon halted, with just 494 made in five different sizes. Today, they are highly coveted by collectors due to their historical relevance and scarcity. In 1909, when Margarete died of pneumonia, Richard continued his aunt's legacy and further expanded the toy and plush line. He also became

190-508: A London Christie's auction of vintage teddy bears, a pair of Steiff teddy bears made in 1908 went for sale with an estimated value of about $ 20,000. In December 2002, "Edwin", a 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 -inch Steiff teddy bear that accompanied a British soldier, Percy Kynnersley-Baddlely, killed in the Battle of the Somme in 1916, was sold for £4,230. In 2010, a 1925 Steiff Harlequin teddy bear sold at

228-467: A London Christie's auction for £46,850. The Steiff company motto, as styled by Margarete Steiff, is "Only the best is good enough for children". The company uses natural fibers such as mohair in their products. Steiff products are subject to meticulous testing and inspection. They are required to be highly flame resistant, and, among other things, smaller pieces such as eyes must be able to resist considerable tension, wear, and tear. A large amount of

266-701: A character created by Michael Bond , were first produced by the family of Jeremy Clarkson in 1972, with the family eventually selling the rights to London-based Hamleys , the world's oldest toy store. More recent lines of stuffed animals have been created around unique concepts, like Uglydoll , introduced in 2001, with a number of recognizable characters and overarching style. Modern plushies from Japan are known for kawaii styles, generally thought of as (at least globally) starting with Sanrio 's Hello Kitty , with many popular characters from popular media like Pikachu and Eevee from Pokémon , and characters from stationery company San-X including Rilakkuma and

304-547: A different "Secret Code" that gave access to the Webkinz World website and a virtual version of the toy for online play. Webkinz's success inspired the creation of other stuffed toys containing codes to unlock digital content, such as the former online worlds Disney's Club Penguin and Build-A-Bearville from Build-A-Bear Workshop . In 2013, Disney launched its first collection of Disney Tsum Tsum stuffed toys based on characters from different Disney properties. Inspired by

342-599: A laughing and shaking plush toy based on the character Elmo from the Sesame Street television show, was released in 1996 and was soon in demand, with some people buying and reselling the toy for hundreds of dollars. This popularity sparked similar fads, including the robotic talking plush toy Furby released in 1998 and ZhuZhu Pets , a line of robotic plush hamsters released in 2009. The Internet also presented an opportunity for new stuffed toy fads. In 2005, Ganz launched its Webkinz stuffed toys, which each came with

380-569: A luxury teddy bear. The 10.5-inch, caramel-colored mohair teddy bear retailed for $ 375. Vintage Steiff teddy bears are prized by collectors, and depending on the type can bring significant sums at auction. In a 1994 auction, the Steiff "Teddy Girl" made in 1904 sold for a record $ 165,000. In 2000, a Steiff Louis Vuitton Teddy Bear, with eyes made of sapphire and diamonds, and with gold parts, sold at an auction in Monaco for $ 2.1 million. In May 2001, at

418-657: A range of materials. The earliest were created from felt, velvet , or mohair and stuffed with straw, horsehair , or sawdust . Following World War II, manufacturers began to adopt more synthetic materials into production, and in 1954, the first teddy bear made from easily washable materials was produced. Modern stuffed toys are commonly constructed of outer fabrics such as plain cloth, pile textiles like plush or terrycloth , or sometimes socks. Common stuffing materials include synthetic fiber , batting , cotton , straw , wood wool , plastic pellets , and beans . Some modern toys incorporate technology to move and interact with

SECTION 10

#1732863228393

456-513: Is a toy doll with an outer fabric sewn from a textile and stuffed with flexible material. They are known by many names, such as plush toys , plushies , lovies , stuffed animals , diane , and stuffies ; in Britain and Australia, they may also be called soft toys or cuddly toys . The stuffed toy originated from the Steiff company of Germany in the late 19th century and gained popularity following

494-1200: Is famous enough. These toys are filled with soft plush material. Stuffed toys come in an array of different sizes, with the smallest being thumb-sized and the largest being larger than a house. However, the largest somewhat commonly produced stuffed toys are not much bigger than a person. Most stuffed toys are designed to be an appropriate size for easy cuddling . They also come in a wide variety of colors, cloth surfaces, fur textures, and humanizing embellishments. Stuffed toys are commonly sold in stores worldwide. Vendors are often abundant at tourist attractions, airports, carnivals, fairs, downtown parks, and general public meeting places of almost any nature, especially if there are children present. Hoffmann von Fallersleben wrote in 1835: "Bring’ uns, lieber Weihnachtsmann, Bring’ auch morgen, bringe Musketier und Grenadier, Zottelbär und Pantherthier, Roß und Esel, Schaf und Stier, Lauter schöne Dinge!" which can be translated as: "Dear Father Christmas, bring us musketeer and grenadier, shaggy bear and panther, steed and donkey, sheep and steer: lots of lovely things." In 1878, The Delineator , an American magazine that offered sewing patterns, offered

532-555: The Sumikko Gurashi characters. There is also a trend of Japanese plushies being shaped like mochi . Children, as well as adults, can form connections with their stuffed toys, often sleeping or cuddling with them for comfort. They can be sentimental objects that reduce anxiety around separation , self-esteem , and fear of the night . In 2019 about a third of British adults reported sleeping with soft toys, and almost half had kept their childhood toys. Stuffed toys are made from

570-577: The Ithaca Kitty became one of the first mass-produced stuffed animal toys in the United States, which was sold as "The Tabby Cat" printed pattern on muslin by Arnold Print Works . The toy industry significantly expanded in the early 20th century. In 1903, Richard Steiff , nephew of Margarete, designed a soft stuffed bear that differed from earlier traditional rag dolls because it was made of plush furlike fabric. As an art student in Stuttgart he visited

608-535: The Kader facility. Workers located in the upper floors were told the fire was minor and were instructed to keep working. The fire alarm in the building did not sound. Areas dedicated to storing finished products caused the fire to spread quickly. Other parts of the factory were full of raw materials which also burned very fast. Workers in the Building One who tried to escape found the ground floor exit doors to be locked, and

646-536: The Steiff Museum opened in Giengen. This event marked the 100th anniversary of the company. The museum has many artifacts from Margarete Steiff's life. In 2017, Steiff had revenues of €45 million, or $ 51 million according to the average exchange rate for the year. In 2008, Steiff launched a limited-edition Karl Lagerfeld teddy bear with a price of €1,000. In 2018, Steiff and Tiffany & Co. collaborated to offer

684-603: The United Kingdom, and the United States. Many people also handmade their own stuffed toys. For instance, sock monkeys originated when parents turned old socks into toys during the Great Depression . In 1921, A. A. Milne bought a stuffed toy from Harrods department store in London for his son Christopher Robin , a toy which would later inspire the author's creation of Winnie-the-Pooh . Stuffed toys of Paddington Bear ,

722-414: The creation of the teddy bear in the United States in 1903. At the same time, German toy inventor Richard Steiff designed a similar bear. In 1903, Peter Rabbit was the first fictional character to be made into a patented stuffed toy. In 1921, Christopher Robin 's stuffed toy, given to him by his father, A. A. Milne , would inspire the creation of Winnie-the-Pooh . In the 1970s, London-based Hamleys ,

760-512: The fire due largely to the many flammable materials stored within contributed to the building’s collapse at 17:14, just 53 minutes after the fire department was called. Fire alarms in Buildings Two and Three had sounded and all workers inside were able to escape before flames spread to the buildings. The fire brigades from Nakhon Pathom and neighboring Bangkok were able to extinguish the fires before these two buildings were destroyed. Even with

798-481: The fire than in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire ; despite this, the incident received little media attention outside Thailand. New Zealand singer-songwriter Don McGlashan released a song about the disaster named "Toy Factory Fire", on his 2006 album Warm Hand . The song is narrated from the imagined perspective of a New York-based toy company executive who, in the week of the 10th anniversary of

SECTION 20

#1732863228393

836-437: The fire, is looking at a number of photographs of the disaster's aftermath. "Here's Bart Simpson with his arms all melted and twisted," he begins. And later: "They said it was a death trap from a text book... Keeping them [the photos] hidden was the best work I ever did." 13°44′05″N 100°19′48″E  /  13.734704°N 100.329894°E  / 13.734704; 100.329894 Stuffed toy A stuffed toy

874-414: The form of animals, especially bears (in the case of teddy bears), mammalian pets such as cats and dogs , and highly recognizable animals such as zebras , tigers , pandas , lizards , and elephants . Many fictional animal-like characters from movies, TV shows, books, or other entertainment forms often appear in stuffed toy versions, as do both real and fictional humans if the individual or character

912-499: The help of hydraulic cranes, it took several days to remove all of the bodies of the victims left in the rubble of Building One. Most victims were taken by ambulance to the Sriwichai II Hospital, where 20 died. When the northern stairwell of the collapsed Building One was searched, the bodies of many others were found. These victims died of smoke inhalation, the flames, or the collapse of the building. More people were killed in

950-592: The industry overall. Teddy bears were an early fad that quickly grew into a cultural phenomenon. Close to 100 years later, in the 1990s, Ty Warner created Beanie Babies , a series of animals stuffed with plastic pellets. The toys became a fad through marketing strategies that increased demand and encouraged collection. Pillow Pets , which can be folded from a pillow into a stuffed animal, were another successful brand, launching in 2003 and selling more than 30 million toys between 2010 and 2016. Other recent fads have involved toys paired with technology. Tickle Me Elmo ,

988-428: The largest stockholder of the company. In 1925, the Steiff company started using assembly line production to keep up with the high demand. In 1931, Steiff partnered with Disney to manufacture the well-known Disney characters. By the 1960s, Steiff was known as the largest stuffed toy maker in the world. By 1968, according to Time , the company had 2,100 employees and generated $ 14 million annually. In 1980,

1026-476: The most popular toys, especially for children. Their uses include imaginative play, comfort objects , display or collecting, and gifts to both children and adults for occasions such as graduation, illness, condolences, Valentine's Day , Christmas , or birthdays. In 2018, the global market for stuffed toys was estimated to be US$ 7.98 billion , with the growth in target consumers expected to drive sales upwards. Many stuffed toys have become fads that have boosted

1064-449: The outer material and synthetic fiber for the stuffing. Often these toys are designed for children, but stuffed toys are popular for a range of ages and uses and have been marked by fads in popular culture that sometimes affected collectors and the value of the toys. Stuffed toys are distinguishable from other toys mainly by their softness, flexibility, and resemblance to animals or fictional characters. Stuffed toys most commonly take

1102-522: The popular app of the same name, Tsum Tsums were first released in Japan (an example of mochi shaped plushies) before expanding to the United States. More recently, in 2021, Squishmallows have made an appearance as a popular Internet fad and collector's item. Steiff Steiff is a German -based plush toy company, founded in 1880, with headquarters in Giengen, Germany . The company claims to have made

1140-481: The stairwells soon collapsed on top of the workers due to the fire. Many workers jumped from the second, third, and fourth-floor windows in order to escape the flames, resulting in severe injuries and fatalities. Local security guards attempted to put out the flames, but were unsuccessful. A call was made to the local Nakhon Pathom Fire Department at 16:21. Firefighters arrived at the factory at about 16:40 and found Building One nearly ready to collapse. Rapid spread of

1178-511: The user. Manufacturers sell two main types of stuffed toys: licensed, which are toys of characters or other licensed properties, or basic, which take the shape of ordinary animals or other non-licensed subjects. Stuffed toys can also be homemade from numerous types of fabric or yarn . For instance, amigurumi is a traditional Japanese type of knitted or crocheted stuffed toy typically made with an oversized head and undersized extremities to look kawaii ('cute'). Stuffed toys are among

Kader Toy Factory fire - Misplaced Pages Continue

1216-447: The work is done by hand. It takes eight to 12 months of training for a seamstress to develop the skills to make Steiff bears that meet the company's strict quality standards. The iconic "button in ear" tag was devised in 1904 by Margarete's nephew Franz to keep counterfeits from being passed off as authentic Steiff toys. It is made of metal. The button is still used to distinguish authentic Steiff toys from fakes. The tag originally had

1254-464: The world's first factory-made teddy bear . Steiff was founded in 1880 by Margarete Steiff , a seamstress. She began making fabric elephants that were sold in her shop as pincushions . However, children began playing with them, and in the years following she went on to design many other animal-themed toys for children, such as monkeys, donkeys, horses, camels, pigs, mice, dogs, cats, rabbits, and giraffes. In 1893, Margarete's felt fabric factory

1292-542: The world's oldest toy store, bought the rights to Paddington Bear stuffed toys. In the 1990s, Ty Warner created Beanie Babies , a series of animals stuffed with plastic pellets that were popular as collector's items. Stuffed toys are made in many different forms, but most resemble real animals (sometimes with exaggerated proportions or features), mythological creatures , cartoon characters, or inanimate objects. They can be commercially or home-produced from numerous materials, most commonly pile textiles like plush for

1330-676: The zoo and sketched the bears, which became the inspiration for his first life-like toy bear, known as "55 PB". At the same time, in the US, Morris Michtom created the first teddy bear after being inspired by a drawing of President "Teddy" Roosevelt with a bear cub. In 1903, the character Peter Rabbit from English author Beatrix Potter was the first fictional character to be made into a patented stuffed toy. The following year they went on sale and were mass produced by Steiff. The popularity of stuffed toys grew, with numerous manufacturers forming in Germany,

1368-683: Was founded in Giengen, Germany. In 1895, the first Steiff products to be sold outside Germany were sold at Harrods in London, England . In 1897, Margarete's nephew, Richard Steiff , joined the company and gave it an enormous boost by creating stuffed animals from drawings made at the zoo. Richard attended the School of Applied Arts in Stuttgart and studied in England . He designed the world's first plush bear with movable arms and legs, known as "55 PB". In 1903,

1406-413: Was owned by a variety of individuals and businesses from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand, including Kader Group and Charoen Pokphand . Kader Industrial had two sister companies that also operated at the location on a lease arrangement. The factory was poorly designed and built. Fire exits drawn in the building plans were not, in fact, constructed, and the existing external doors were locked. The building

1444-561: Was reinforced with uninsulated steel girders which quickly weakened and collapsed when they were heated by the flames. At about 16:00 on May 10, 1993, a small fire was discovered on the first floor of part of the E-shaped building. This portion of the building was used to package and store finished products, meaning there was a significant amount of fuel load present. Fuel loads composed of fabrics, plastics, materials used for stuffing, and additional workplace materials were found in each building of

#392607