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The Smoking Man
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« on: July 03, 2008, 10:16:28 AM » |
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Famous German teddy bear firm to quit China
Reuters - Wednesday, July 2 11:03 pm
BERLIN (Reuters) - Steiff, the firm that has made teddy bears for over a century, said on Wednesday it planned to move production back from China to Germany because poor standards there left some of its stuffed toys in a sorry state.
"If one of the glass eyes is even a millimetre off, it means the adorable devoted look on the teddy bear's face ends up looking more like some kind of a stupid stare," managing director Martin Frechen told the Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper.
He told ZDF television the company had found it difficult during four years in China to maintain the quality of its expensive stuffed animals, toys and dolls because of high staff turnover.
"We had to keep training new people all the time, especially lately," Frechen said. "More and more of the products were rejects."
Among the Steiff stuffed animals -- famous for the distinctive red button attached to their ears as a symbol of quality and higher prices -- are "Knut" polar bear cubs, modelled on the bear in Berlin zoo that has become a celebrity.
Much of the world's toy production has switched to China to take advantage of the cheapness of its labour costs and other overheads.
Frechen, however, said producing toys in China had appeared to make economic sense at first but turned out to be more costly, especially when logistics and a three-month shipping time to Germany were added to the calculation.
Steiff was founded by Margarete Steiff in the southern town of Giengen an der Brenz in 1880 and began producing teddy bears in 1902.
(Writing by Erik Kirschbaum; editing by Andrew Roche)
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 Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot. |
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The Smoking Man
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« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2008, 02:48:26 PM » |
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Funny. That is probably the attitude that lost China the production rights to these things. Children in the west sleep with their teddies. I had one ... My sister had one and so did all of our friends. Where do you think the stories of Paddington Bear, Winnie the Pooh et al came from? It's a cultural thing that the Chinese are too stupid to understand (Well, that is what you say about us foreigners when we can't fathom Chinese culture.) It takes a highly developed mind to understand the Teddy Bear. Re: the eyes ... Surely you have seen the Dharma dolls that you draw pupils into the eyes? You are aware that if you screw up, that means your project will go badly?  Besides, It is not up to the worker to decide the quality of the product when the specs come from the customer. Now get back in your sweat shop and do a better job.  |
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« Last Edit: July 03, 2008, 02:50:56 PM by The Smoking Man »
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Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot. |
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The Smoking Man
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« Reply #3 on: July 03, 2008, 02:54:43 PM » |
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Oh ... and the European workers had no problem in making them for so many years. They were just not as cheap as the Chinese. You only get what you pay for, I guess.  |
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Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot. |
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The Smoking Man
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« Reply #5 on: July 03, 2008, 04:31:02 PM » |
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And simpler to make too.
Just about every company in China is trying to forge them.
Unfortunately, they are two dimensional and always will be.
They have no personality other than that which the animator bestows on them.
They are a cultural abomination with no individuality and no appeal to non-speakers of Chinese.
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Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot. |
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shan
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« Reply #6 on: July 03, 2008, 07:49:13 PM » |
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Baahhhhh! Grin
They are cuter!
agree, they are so......cute!!!  |
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« Last Edit: July 03, 2008, 07:51:59 PM by shan »
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The Smoking Man
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« Reply #7 on: July 03, 2008, 07:54:58 PM » |
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What do you expect from a nation that would rather drain the gall from a bear or grind up the bones of tigers for medicine.
When you finally understand what a pet is, you may finally reach the answer.
The Olympic things are cute because you know you can't eat them.
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Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot. |
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shan
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« Reply #8 on: July 03, 2008, 08:01:24 PM » |
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What's the photo that smokie posted here .?
it looks ugly and terrible ,teddies toy ?come on, i would hate it
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shan
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« Reply #9 on: July 03, 2008, 08:06:07 PM » |
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some one is expecting to use the money for QQ car to buy a BMW , come on.
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shan
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« Reply #10 on: July 03, 2008, 08:14:41 PM » |
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Since ancient time , the Chinese craftmen are most talented and China's handicrafts always rank NO 1 in the world ,no one can deny it and no country can overpass it
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Polly
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« Reply #11 on: July 03, 2008, 08:53:00 PM » |
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 Smokie: My teddy is the cutest! Shan: NO! Mine! Mine! Mine!
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 Please join our forum, we are nice people. Smokie is stationed in China, Art is Irish, Drive By is Aussie, Leon is from somewhere and Shan and I are Chinese. We were mostly dissidents of another forum, that's how we met. Truth interests us. Hope to meet you soon |
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The Smoking Man
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« Reply #12 on: July 03, 2008, 08:58:24 PM » |
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Since ancient time , the Chinese craftmen are most talented and China's handicrafts always rank NO 1 in the world ,no one can deny it and no country can overpass it
Maybe before the revolution but now!? Ever hear of German Engineering? |
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Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot. |
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The Smoking Man
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« Reply #13 on: July 03, 2008, 09:01:33 PM » |
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What's the photo that smokie posted here .?
it looks ugly and terrible ,teddies toy ?come on, i would hate it
THAT is a Dharma doll. It is Bodhidarma ... the man who brought Buddhism to China. Where he cast off his eyelids because he fell asleep, tea plants began to grow. Yes THAT is the Asian version showing the importance of EYES. |
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Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot. |
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Polly
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« Reply #14 on: July 03, 2008, 09:03:25 PM » |
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 All I can see are some beady eyes. Where is the devoted look?  LOL |
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Please join our forum, we are nice people. Smokie is stationed in China, Art is Irish, Drive By is Aussie, Leon is from somewhere and Shan and I are Chinese. We were mostly dissidents of another forum, that's how we met. Truth interests us. Hope to meet you soon |
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