Snuffles was designed in 1980 by Rita Raiffe who, at the time, led the company with her husband Herbert. She was inspired by the shape of the beautiful crescent moon in the sky, and designed a happy bear looking up at the moon. Snuffles debuted in 1981 and is now the oldest bear in Gund's product line. The initial sizes offered were 12-inch tall models available in brown or white. Since then, Snuffles has been produced in a number of sizes and colors, mostly between four inches and three feet tall. Available colors have included dark and light brown, white, tan, blue, pink, as well as rare green and yellow versions. In addition to the traditional teddy bear, Gund has made Snuffles into rattles, puppets and slippers. Some seasonal versions have been released. Most of the colored bears have a white snout, ears, and a white patch on their belly. There has been a variety of fur types made over the years including fur, velour, and terry cloth. Most Snuffles styles have a limited production run and are difficult to locate once they have been discontinued. A number of limited edition bears have been made including ones with mohair fur. A two-foot 25th anniversary blush colored edition was released in 2006, sold exclusively at FAO Schwartz stores. FAO Schwartz has been the exclusive retailer of a number of other Snuffles varieties including silver millennium editions and versions. The standard size blush colored 12" Snuffles shown in the photo above was produced for Gund's 25th anniversary but was sold through many national retailers. Other editions have been made for Macy's, Pottery Barn, and Barnes & Noble.
Sizes
Gund Snuffles come in many different sizes. These sizes range from 4" tall to 3 ft tall. There are over 120 styles of Gund Snuffles made, but most are only produced for a season or a year.
Colors
Gund Snuffles are available in a variety of different colors and materials. The colors include: Bloo, Marshmallow, Snowflake, Pink Bubblegum, Chocolate Truffle, light brown, tan, mint green, yellow and blue. Several Mohair versions. Recently, a 25th anniversary blush colored edition was released in 2006. Other limited edition versions were made exclusively for Macy's, Pottery Barn and Barnes & Noble. The majority of colored Snuffles bears feature a small white patch on their belly and snout. The white patch on their belly is coincidentally similar to the spots that sun bears have on their bellies.
