Steiff is a German-base plush toy company known for its high quality and equally high prices. It was begun in 1880 by Margarete Steiff, who was later assisted by her brother Fritz. Their nephew Richard joined in 1897, who gave the company an enormous boost in popularity by creating the teddy bear in 1902. In 1907, Steiff manufactured 974,000 bears, and has been increasing its output ever since.