Gund

For other uses, see Gund (disambiguation).

Gund is a manufacturer of plush stuffed animals. It was founded by Adolph Gund in 1898. On July 1, 2008, Gund was sold to Enesco, a gift company known for among other things the Cherished Teddies line.

Gund created many of the industry standards today including safety standards and the manufacturing processes for toys. 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.

In the 1980s, Gund launched Snuffles, a polar like bear with black eyes, sueded nose and a sewn thread mouth. Gund recently celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Snuffles and introduced a Giant Snuffles which was nearly twice the size of the one which made the brand famous. 1980s Gund plush and older still have a viable retail market thanks to eBay and other websites.

In 2012 company signed a licensing deal with Pretty Ugly™, LLC to make UGLYDOLL® branded plush characters.

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. It also makes the "Barnsie" bear, made exclusively for Barnes & Noble.

The 116-year old company is based in Edison, New Jersey, and distributes throughout the United States and Canada as well as in Europe, Japan, Australia, and South America.

External links

• Gund