Sometimes it’s what’s inside that counts! And what’s inside a Teddy Bear Gift is what makes the Teddy so huggable! From the very first Teddy Bears, the stuffing used inside has been an important factor. Let’s explore those stuffings from the earliest to those used most often today.

Wood Wool Excelsior This strawlike substance was used for many years in the first Teddy Bears. It gave the bear a rigid feel and actually resisted dirt, but it was not washable. Today wood wool. which is actually made from wood slivers, is still sometimes used to stuff the muzzles of Teddy Bears.

Cotton Gin Waste During wartime, Teddy Bears often used an economical stuffing called ‘sub’, which was the waste from cotton mills. The general makeup of cotton gin waste was sticks, leaves, soil particles, and cotton lint. Silk stockings with runners or tears were also frequently cut up and used inside the Teddy Bear.

Kapok After WWI, soft fiber extracted from seed pods of the kapok tree became a popular alternative to use as stuffing for Teddy Bears. The pods of the kapok have seeds which are surrounded by a fluffy, yellowish soft fiber. While rather expensive, it gave a soft feeling similar to down, which encouraged bear hugs.

Shredded Plastic Foam This stuffing was not long lasting in use as it did not prove washable and when wet broke down into a sticky powder. There is a shredded soft memory foam that has elastic qualities which make for an interesting stuffing for Teddy Bears.

Plastic Pellets Today that shredded plastic has been turned into plastic pellets that give Teddy Bear Gifts a softer, floppier feel. They are sometimes mixed with polyester fiber fill to give the bear more additional weight so it can sit up more easily.

Polyester Fiber Fill This is the most common filling today. Premium fiberfill has a soft feeling, which makes it perfect for Teddy Bears for infants and small children. Sometimes cotton batting that is used in quilts has been successfully used for Teddy Bear stuffing.

Many methods of stuffing Teddy Bear Gifts have been tried throughout the years of the Teddy Bear’s existence. Next time your Teddy gets a little tear, check out What’s Inside