Collectible Bears & Animals - Anker & Bing, Germany

Collectible Bears & Animals - Anker Pluschspielwarenfabrik GmbH & Gebruder Bing, Germany

Anker Pluschspielwarenfabrik GmbH, English translation is Anker Plush Toy Factory GmbH, (commonly referred to simply as "Anker") was founded in Germany in 1954 by the purchase of the company Johann Hermann founded in 1913, from Hermann's successors.  Ernst Baumler took over the entire staff, the models, the forms and the machines of the Munich factory. 

One of Anker's most popular creations was the "Mufti" range of laughing donkeys introduced shortly after their founding and one of their caricature animals, a creative movement away from traditional teddy bears.

Here is an example of MUFTI

Made from grey mohair, with exaggerated lashes and an open mouth lined with vinyl teeth.

For more info, please click HERE



















Anker produced hand glove puppets and animals through the 1960's. A rare find is this unusual mohair plush Bull, modeled after the Disney character Ferdinand.

He has rubber horns and plastic googly eyes.

For more info on Ferdinand, please click HERE

The first Anker logo was a bear holding an anchor, which changed to a lion with an anchor in 1956.  Being foil paper swing tags, most are lost and it is very difficult to find an Anker animal with original ID.

Tough economic times in the beginning of the 1970's caused Anker to give up its independence and they transfer the distribution of all of its production to Hegi (Herta Girz & Co). Shortly afterwards, Hegi was taken over by Schuco Germany and so Anker's distribution was managed by Schuco.  In 1976 Schuco filed for bankruptcy and Anker ceased production and their business in Munich in 1977. 

Gebruder Bing, Nuremberg Germany began in 1863 making tin and sheet metal toys.  In 1907 they produced their first toys stuffed with soft material and clockwork mechanisms. In 1908 Bing produced their first teddy bears in white, dark brown, and golden yellow mohair but entered into a legal dispute with Steiff because of their attachment of a button in the right ear of the teddy bear with the initials GBN. Steiff already had their trademark "Button in the ear" protected.  Even Bing's attempt of a "button under the arm" was denied, so finally Bing settled on "Trademark GBN under the arm" and ID was a metal tag. In 1919 the name changed to Bing Werke and the metal tags appear anywhere on the body or arm with "BW" imprinted in red or green. 

Here is a c1927 Bing Teddy Bear with his BLUE metal tag on his arm. One of the last of the tags used before they declared bankruptcy in 1932. 

 A big boy, 55 cm tall (21 1/2 inches), made from light blonde mohair.

His BW metal arm tag.

For more info on this Bing Bear, please click HERE

Bing Teddy Bears are highly sought after and quite rare. They are often confused with Steiff due to similar characteristics of a pronounced hump and elongated arms. Here is a little girl named Penny, from my personal collection, no ID but darling with her very own English penny.

Dressing Teddy Bears can help protect their mohair, and hide any imperfections. Never store Teddy's in plastic bags. Moisture can develop and rot their mohair and excelsior (straw) stuffing!

Happy Treasure Hunting!

Bear Hugs

Mandy

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