History of Gund Teddy Bears

Gund Beginnings

For more than a century, GUND has been creating teddy bears and other huggable toys recognized for their unique softness, quality and design.

The company was founded in 1898 by German immigrant, Adolph Gund, making Gund the oldest plush toy company in the United States. Pronounced a very American "Guhnd" rather than a German "Goond", the company was one of the first to design and produce teddy bears in the early 1900s.

In 1907, a young Russian immigrant, Jacob Swedlin, took a modest job at Gund. When Adolph Gund retired in 1925 with no children of his own, he sold the business to Swedlin for a token sum. Gund has been a family business ever since.

Rita Swedlin Raiffe, Jacob Swedlin's daughter, and her husband, Herbert Raiffe, ran the teddy bear company from 1969 to 1993. Bruce Raiffe, grandson of Jacob Swedlin, joined Gund in 1977 and became president in 1993. He has been leading Gund since that time.

Gund Innovations

The Gund company was responsible for many innovations now popular among manufacturers of soft toys and teddy bears. Long before licensing movie characters became popular, Gund produced the first stuffed versions of many cartoon characters, including Felix the Cat and Mickey Mouse.

Gund also became known for its now trademark understuffing technique, which makes its teddy bears especially soft and huggable.

Gotta Getta GUND

The famous Gotta Getta GUND advertising campaign led to the company's recognition as a leading consumer brand. Snuffles the bear and Muttsy the dog are two of the company's most famous characters.

Gund is now known worldwide for its top quality, soft and huggable plush teddy bears and toys. Award winning Gund products appeal to all ages, from infants up, and are perfect for both play and collecting.

The 104 year old company is based in Edison, New Jersey, and distributes throughout the world.

Teddy Bear Friends stocks a huge range of Gund teddy bears and Gund Baby toys and gifts. You can always be assured that you are getting quality-made and beautifully designed products at good prices.

• History of teddy bears