Steiff is a German-based plush toy company, founded in 1880, with headquarters in Giengen, Germany. The company claims to have made 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 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, 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, 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 the largest stockholder of the company.