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All About
Us, Our Products, & Our Mission
About Us
We are a new company, founded in
2006 by Virginia Stewart, a long-time doll collector and
authority. We will be expanding our offerings to include
products from other manufacturers, but those made by Kosen
are of such high quality and obvious appeal that they were
chosen as our flagship line.
It is our mission to make love a
habit through the encouragement of nurturing and caring
for living animals by distributing these irrisitable plush
animals and soft dolls. The philosophy of love, respect,
and strong self-esteem-building can be carried down from
generation to generation, creating a better community for
all. We will sell products of only the highest quality and
superior workmanship. Products that will provide years of
enjoyment to become heirlooms of great value. All of our
products will be selected for their stimulation of love
for all things natural, and promote the preservation of
the wild.
We also want this web site to be
fun as well as stimulating. We hope you find it so. Return
often! New items will be continuously added and new specials
frequently offered. If you have any comments or suggestions,
please don't hesitate to make them known to us by clicking
the "Contact Us" link below.
Our Products
KOSEN:
Kosener (Kosen) Spielzeug GmbH, located in the small resort
spa town of Bad Kosen, Germany, on the Saale river, is famous
for it's beautiful, realistic, and well-made plush animals
and dolls. The original company was founded as a doll-making
shop by Kathe Kruse in 1912. She managed it until retiring
in 1949. Kosen dropped it's line of dolls in 1964 to concentrate
on making plush animals, inviting artists from the Art College
of Burg Giebichenstein in Halle to design them.
The Schache family, managing Kosener
Spielzeug since 1992, continues this tradition and
maintains the high standards of workmanship set by their
predecessors. The animals are still designed and produced
only in Bad Kosen. They are
really special and precious. Some are issued as Limited
Editions, and these are especially sought after.
Annekatrin Mehlan and Sunhild Forster
are the brand's pre-emenent designers, but they have been
joined by many others. Each design is based on intensive
studies of the anatomy and movement capabilities of the
animal depicted.
The designers first draw the animals in their natural habitats
or in zoos, then create them as three dimensional figures
in clay, always being careful to show them in typical and
natural positions. Important details are lovingly executed,
especially the animal's faces, which are kept true to the
original while adding personality and individuality.
Varied materials are used, up to seventy for each animal,
including only the finest fake fur, which is cut out by
hand. The pieces are stitched together very carefully and
are filled with high quality fibers. Then they are stitched
closed, combed, brushed, embroidered, and painted -- all
by hand, and all in Bad Kosen. Quality is controlled closely
at each step in the production process.
Selecting the eyes is often a very difficult process, as
eyes are key elements in the facial expressions of the animals.
Kosen uses only the finest quality eyes, some of which are
manufactured under exclusive contract.
The latest additions to the Kosen family are the PiRats,
soon to be unleashed upon a suspecting and expectant public.
We bid them a hearty welcome and look forward to selling
them to eager collectors everywhere. They will be manufactured
to the same high standards as the rest of Kosen's offerings,
and will no doubt join the plush animals and Silke dolls
as splendid additions to any home. In spite of themselves,
they may also be very cuddly. They are certainly lovable.
SILKE:
Kosen has recently added the Silke Collection brand into
the Kosen portfolio: rag dolls and cuddly animals of superior
quality, intended for smaller children. The Silke brand
will be continued in the superlative Kosen tradition.
Quality Standards
All products meet all the requirements of the European safety
standard EN 71 and display the CE quality mark. Regular
tests are performed at the TUV Institutes to make sure the
safety standards are being maintained. No harmful elements
are contained in the animals. They can be washed in water
at up to 30 degrees Celsius (approximately 80 degrees Fahrenheit).
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