Category:Chad Valley: Difference between revisions

Chad Valley grew from a tiny printing works to a large manufacturer of soft toys and games. It remains one of the largest British producers of teddy bears of recent times.

In 1860, Joseph and Alfred Johnson set up their printing works in George Street Parade, Birmingham. Their main business was in printing labels and headed stationery etc. In 1897, they moved to larger premises in Harborne, close to the Chad Brook, where they started producing boxes, board games and jigsaws as well. They also produced chessmen, draughts and dominoes for their board games in a nearby factory, which was close to a timber yard. By buying up one company after another (for example, the Wrekin and Issa works for soft toys and the Tan Bank factory for teddy bears), the firm began to grow, issuing a catalogue by 1897.

The first Chad Valley traditional jointed, plush teddy bears were first manufactured in 1915-1916, following a ban on German imports into Britain. However, the Chad Valley company remained very traditional in its output, and continued to produce stuffed animals which worked either by clockwork or by being pulled along. Their basic range included cats, bears, lions and elephants. Some Chad Valley bears from this period have been found stuffed with cork chippings, and others with wire jointing.

Chad Valley expanded rapidly during the 1920’s and 30’s, taking over five companies, including Isaacs and Co. By the early 1930’s, the company was selling bears in fourteen sizes. Nose designs were also modified in this period – these years saw the introduction of the thickly-bound, oval shaped nose, which has become characteristic of Chad Valley products.

By the end of the 1930’s, Chad Valley was recognised as one of the world’s leading toy manufacturers. In 1938, it was granted the British Royal Warrant of Appointment and from that year onwards, each toy produced by the company carried a label with the declaration “Toymakers to Her Majesty the Queen”, referring to Queen Elizabeth - the wife of the monarch at the time, King George VI. The wording changed in 1953, when “the Queen” became “the Queen Mother”. This detail is useful when trying to date Chad Valley bears.

Chad Valley products are usually clearly marked with sewn-on labels, which often give the name of the toy series in which it appears. This facilitates the dating of the product, though obviously once introduced a particular toy appeared for many years. In its early years, Chad Valley placed its trademark button on the bear’s right ear, but buttons were occasionally found on the bear’s upper chest. It is possible that problems with Steiff’s patent “button in ear” might have caused these alterations. During the 1930’s and 40’s, a white woven label with red lettering was attached to each bear issued by Chad Valley.

References

• Kenneth and Marguerite Fawdry, Pollocks History of English Dolls and Toys, researched by Brown, Deborah, Ernest Benn Ltd. 1979, ISBN 0 510-00049-5
• Pauline Cockrill, The Ultimate Teddy Bear Book, Dorling Kindersley 1991, ISBN 0-7513-3391-3
• Pauline Cockrill, The Teddy Bear Encyclopedia, Dorling Kindersley 1993, 2001, ISBN 0-7513-3391-3

External Links

• Chad Valley Company History (luckybears.com)