Gund
Encyclopedia
Gund is a manufacturer of plush stuffed animal
s. It was founded by Adolph Gund in 1898 and is the oldest manufacturer of plush toys in the U.S. On July 1, 2008 Gund was sold to Enesco
, a gift company known for among other things the Cherished Teddies line.
Gund created many of the industry standards today including safety standards and the manufacturing processes for toys. Sweldin, who bought the company from Gund when he retired in 1925, became the first licensor of cartoon characters, producing plush toy versions of Popeye
, Mickey Mouse
, Felix the Cat
, and Tigger
.
Gund became one of the 50 most recognized companies in America in the 1980s marketing the brand slogan, "Gotta Getta Gund."
In the 1980s, Gund had an extremely successful launch with Snuffles, a polar like bear with black eyes, sueded nose and a sewn thread mouth. Snuffles was offered in White, Tan, Brown, and Pink. They also offered a Platinum Edition which had white and silver like fur. Gund recently celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Snuffles and introduced a Giant Snuffles which was nearly twice the size of the one which made the brand famous. Gund products were always more expensive than those offered via mass retailers, but they became the gold standard as their quality was exceptional versus brands like Commonwealth, Dakin, and Russ Berrie. 1980s Gund plush and older still have a viable retail market thanks to eBay and other websites.
Today Gund sells over 1500 products including Gund, Baby Gund, Gund Bears, Gund Snuffles
teddy bears, and Gund Holiday. Gund is known for under-stuffing their products to make them softer than competing teddy bears. It also makes the "Barnsie" bear, made exclusively for Barnes & Noble
.
Stuffed animal
A stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw, beans, plastic pellets, cotton, synthetic fibres, or other similar materials. Stuffed toys are also known as plush toys A stuffed toy is a toy sewn from cloth, plush, or other textiles, and stuffed with straw,...
s. It was founded by Adolph Gund in 1898 and is the oldest manufacturer of plush toys in the U.S. On July 1, 2008 Gund was sold to Enesco
Enesco
Enesco is an American company specializing in the sales and distribution of giftware. The company was known as an industry leader during the 1970s, '80s, and '90s, as it carried the Precious Moments porcelain figurine line of products.-History:...
, a gift company known for among other things the Cherished Teddies line.
Gund created many of the industry standards today including safety standards and the manufacturing processes for toys. Sweldin, who bought the company from Gund when he retired in 1925, became the first licensor of cartoon characters, producing plush toy versions of Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
, Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
, Felix the Cat
Felix the Cat
Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in the silent film era. His black body, white eyes, and giant grin, coupled with the surrealism of the situations in which his cartoons place him, combine to make Felix one of the most recognized cartoon characters in film history...
, and Tigger
Tigger
Tigger is a fictional tiger-like character originally introduced in A. A. Milne's book The House at Pooh Corner. Like other Pooh characters, Tigger is based on one of Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed animals...
.
Gund became one of the 50 most recognized companies in America in the 1980s marketing the brand slogan, "Gotta Getta Gund."
In the 1980s, Gund had an extremely successful launch with Snuffles, a polar like bear with black eyes, sueded nose and a sewn thread mouth. Snuffles was offered in White, Tan, Brown, and Pink. They also offered a Platinum Edition which had white and silver like fur. Gund recently celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Snuffles and introduced a Giant Snuffles which was nearly twice the size of the one which made the brand famous. Gund products were always more expensive than those offered via mass retailers, but they became the gold standard as their quality was exceptional versus brands like Commonwealth, Dakin, and Russ Berrie. 1980s Gund plush and older still have a viable retail market thanks to eBay and other websites.
Today Gund sells over 1500 products including Gund, Baby Gund, Gund Bears, Gund Snuffles
Gund Snuffles
Gund Snuffles is a plush bear developed and produced by the Gund toy company and was the recipient of 1996 Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award.-History of Snuffles:...
teddy bears, and Gund Holiday. Gund is known for under-stuffing their products to make them softer than competing teddy bears. It also makes the "Barnsie" bear, made exclusively for Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
.