Gund

Pink Gund puppy, made in Thailand circa 1991

Gund is a manufacturer of plush stuffed animals. It was founded by Adolph Gund in 1898 and is the oldest manufacturer of soft toys in the U.S.^[1] On July 1, 2008 Gund was sold to Enesco, a gift company known for among other things the Cherished Teddies line.^{[citation needed]}

Gund created many of the industry standards today including safety standards and the manufacturing processes for toys.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

Gund became one of the 50 most recognized companies in America in the 1980s^{[citation needed]} 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. The also offered a Platinum edition which had white and silver like fur. Gund recently celebrated the 25th Anniversary with 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.^{[citation needed]}

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External links

• Gund