Deans Ragbook Teddy Bears

Dean’s didn’t start out as a teddy bear maker. Instead it began its life as Dean’s Rag Book Company, founded by Henry Dean in 1903, to make brightly colored rag books for children. The books were virtually indestructible, as illustrated by Dean’s trademark showing a bulldog and a terrier fighting over a rag book, illustrated by artist Stanley Berkley. The books could be washed if they accumulated too much food or mud, or taken to bed and hugged since they were cloth.

But Dean’s expertise in printing, patterns and cloth made them a natural to branch out into the world of soft toys, including teddy bears, which they eventually did. It is said that Deans made teddy bears as early as 1906, but if they did, they weren’t labeled and so can’t be proven.

What is known is that Dean’s first plush teddy bear was born in 1915, thus making Dean’s one of the oldest teddy bear makers in England (Chad Valley bears were also born in 1915), filling the void for teddy bears caused by World War I hostilities and the ban of imports from Germany. The teddies, under the name “Kuddlemee,” had long jointed limbs and pointed ears. They were made in Dean’s factory in the Elephant & Castle district of London, where the company had moved from their Fleet Street location in 1912.

However, Dean’s didn’t begin large-scale production of teddy bears until the 1920’s since dolls were their main focus. In 1922 Dean’s registered the trademark A1 Toys for a group of toys that included plush mohair teddy bears with either a squeaker or growl box.