Assembly Line

How teddy bears are made

Teddy bears are named after Theodore Roosevelt, after a 1902 hunting trip in Mississippi.

stations
6
things upstream
20
raw sources
8
steps from the ground
8

The short version

A teddy bear starts as flat pieces of plush cut from a pattern. The pieces are sewn inside out, turned right side out, and filled with soft stuffing. Eyes and nose are fastened securely, and joints or sewn limbs are attached. A last seam closes the opening and the bear is brushed and tagged.

  1. Cut the plush pieces

    Dies or blades cut the head, body, arms, legs and ears from a roll of soft pile fabric. The pile on each piece has to run the same way, or the bear looks patchy.

    Goes in
    Polyester

  2. Sew them inside out

    Matching pieces are stitched together with their furry sides facing in. Turning the pieces right side out later hides the seams.

    Goes in
    Sewing thread

  3. Fix eyes and nose

    Eyes and a nose are attached before stuffing so they can be locked on from the back. Mass-produced bears for children must have securely fastened eyes.

  4. Stuff with soft fill

    The body, head and limbs are packed with soft fiber filling through an opening. Many bears have safety joints for arms, legs and head, and others have sewn limbs.

    Goes in
    Polyester

  5. Close the seam

    The last opening is stitched shut by hand or by machine so the seam hides in the pile.

    Goes in
    Sewing thread

  6. Brush, tag and pack

    The fur is brushed, a tag is stitched on, and the bear is checked and bagged.

End of the lineTeddy bear

Worth repeating

  • Morris Michtom put a small soft bear cub in his New York candy-shop window with a sign reading Teddy's bear, and went on to found the Ideal Novelty and Toy Co.
  • The Steiff firm in Germany exhibited its bear at the Leipzig Toy Fair in March 1903.
  • The largest teddy bear measures 19.41 meters in length, and was built in Mexico in 2019.

Back to the ground

Follow every input upstream and teddy bear starts as these 8 raw sources.

WaterNatural gasCrude oilAirCornLimestoneSugarcaneSugar beet

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Keep walking

Snow globe 9 stations · 26 raw sources Sausage 6 stations · 4 raw sources AA battery 8 stations · 22 raw sources Carbon fiber 6 stations · 4 raw sources Guitar string 6 stations · 18 raw sources Kitchen sponge 7 stations · 13 raw sources

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Sources

Cite this page: "How teddy bears are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/teddy-bear

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