Steiff Museum – get lost in a world of teddy bears

The Steiff Museum is a delightful place to visit when you are like me, nuts about cuddly toys.  We decided to visit the Museum on a Saturday morning, it was already Autumn and it was not too busy for a weekend visit.
We took the train from Ulm to Giengen an der Brenz.

The Museum is very easy to find.
From the station, you follow the signs and will soon see red paw prints along the road ..jip you guessed it ..follow the paw prints.

 

 

Know before you go

• The Museum is open most of the year. It is closed on Christmas, 26 December, 1 January and on Good Friday.
• The museum is open from 10:00 to 18:00.
• The prices per ticket at time of publishing were €10 per adult and €6 per child.
• Ticket discounts for groups and elderly people.
• There is a shop where you can buy Steiff products.
• There is a restaurant/bistro where you can buy snacks and warm meals, between 11:00 and 17:00.
• More information on the Steiff Museum Website.

The experience

After buying our tickets, we browsed through the Steiff shop while waiting for the tour to begin.
The tour is guided by two cuddly toys, Knopf and Frieda. They take you through the history of Steiff, how it all began and the mystery of the teddy bears lost at sea.
They told us that teddy bears like to travel and that they can be found all over the world,  bringing happiness and joy to children (and adults) everywhere.
The tour is very interactive and well presented.

After the tour you can go to the Steiff petting zoo. Children can sit on an unicorn, an elephant or a deer, or just marvel at the various stuffed animals

There is also a showcase of all the historical Teddy bears and stuffed animals manufactured by Steiff

You can go to the workshop and watch how the Teddy bears are made.
The journey finishes in the shop, where you can buy mainstream and limited editions.  The bears with movable parts are more expensive.
“The famous trademark “Button in Ear”. The Steiff “Button in Ear” design may vary. A yellow tag attached to the Button indicates the toy is part of the current range. A white tag with red writing attached to the button is gifted to all the Steiff limited editions.
And a white tag with black writing attached to the button is gifted to all the Steiff limited edition replica designs.”

The awesome stuff

It is a beautiful and fun place to visit.
Easily accessible via train, bus or by road.
They cater for birthday parties.
You can make your own teddy bear (only for groups between 8 and 25 people).

The less awesome stuff

It can become overcrowded during the peak summer season.
The tour was only available in German, but I think one can still follow the story-line.

The verdict

It is a very nice day trip, definitely worth going.