Grisly Spielwaren Bears

It is the philosophy of the GRISLY company to manufacture its toys in the best way possible, using only materials of high quality. Thus, all products are made of the best German mohair and all are traditionally handmade in Germany.

The company was founded by Karl Theodor Unfricht in 1954 in Kirchheimbolanden, a small German town 50 miles northwest of Heidelberg and southwest of Frankfurt.
 
The production of GRISLY toys started with a collection of teddy bears and soft toys designed by his wife Luise Unfricht. With the active help from all family members, especially from the two children Hans Georg and Hannelore, the success everybody had hoped for was realized. At the peak of the business development in the late 60s and early 70s, more than 50 employees were working for GRISLY.
 
After the death of Luise Unfricht in 1974 Erika Unfricht, the wife of Hans Georg Unfricht, took over, designing new animals. After the death of Karl Theodor Unfricht (1980), Hans Georg Unfricht and Arno Wirth, the husband of Hannelore, succeeded him in managing the firm and the sales department respectively. Even with this change in management, the classical style that was already typical for GRISLY was retained. Changes and innovations were carried out only gradually during these years - if they were considered at all. In 1985 Arno Wirth died and in 1994, in the year of the company's 40th anniversary, Hans Georg Unfricht died.
 
Since there was no successor within the family, Mrs Unfricht and Mrs Wirth decided to sell the company. The successor they looked for and whom they finally found should guarantee the continuation of the company and its management as the founding family wished. New life should be breathed into the business which had been declining due to the age of its former owners.
 
In January 1995 Daniela Lederle, a passionate collector of teddy bears, and her husband Dr. Oliver Lederle followed in the footsteps of the founding Unfricht family. 


The Grisly Trademark

A tradition resumed in 1996 is that all Grisly teddy bears and soft toys are marked with a metallic seal. It shows the GRISLY trademark, a bear standing on all fours, together with needle and thread as a symbol of the significance of needlework.

This tradition had started in the early 1960s, but came to a temporary end in the late 70s. At that time, a round metallic seal at the left side of the chest was used for labeling.

Today the seal is again at the left side of the chest, but its shape has changed; it is now rectangular. The indented red logo on a gold-plated background emphasizes the exclusive character of all GRISLY products and their high stability of value.

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