A rarely-seen, small Pixie Toys bear with back-seam label, made without pads during the 1940s austerity period of WW2 and 1950s. Called Little Joe, he’s only 20cm (8″) tall, and mostly woodwool-stuffed with soft filling in his torso.

Fairly bald now, having lost much of his faded gold mohair, Little Joe’s ears are lined with white wool-plush – another example of cost-cutting, when times were hard, and traditional materials in short supply. This cute teddy, has replaced amber glass eyes, and a re-sewn nose, while his original mouth stitching is still holding on.

There’s a small darn to the left side of Little Joe’s muzzle, and the toe of one foot is  slightly threadbare, but his joints work fine.  Overall, little Joe is a very sweet character, and wears a pair of old navy blue wool trousers, with a homemade felt sailor jacket.  And, typical of a Pixie Toys bear, Little Joe has a high forehead, which is perfect for a hat!

Pixie Toys was founded by the wives of two glass manufacturers in the 1930s. To help make ends meet, the women decided to start making soft toys, initially at home, but soon transferred their company to the glassworks near Stourbridge.

The business rapidly took off, with the addition of a professional designer – Elizabeth Simmonds, who had worked for both Norah Wellings and Merrythought. In fact, later in the 1930s, Elizabeth bought Pixie Toys with a business partner, but after WW2 the demand for toys declined, and Pixie Toys was taken over in 1955. The company only survived seven years, and closed its doors in 1962.