Hansa

Hansa Creation Portraits in Nature

Founded in 1972 by industry veteran Hans Axthelm, Hansa Creation is known and loved worldwide for incredibly realistic, beautifully crafted, eminently cuddly plush animals.

A favourite with kids and collectors alike and the holder of a string of international awards, the sheer reality of the collection has also made Hansa Creation the preferred supplier to zoos, wildlife parks, garden centres, Christmas displays, media events, photo shoots, exhibitions, etc. This is not by accident: an enormous effort by a highly skilled, talented and passionate team of artists, researchers, designers, craftspeople and technicians goes into the creation of every single Hansa animal. Ranging in size from 4 inches to 4 metre display items, and in origin from every corner of the globe, each item is designed with its distinctive character from portraits of animals in their natural habitat.

Each animal's fur is caringly hand-trimmed, providing a natural layered look and feel that cannot be reproduced by machine. Hansa is constantly striving to improve upon the best raw materials (often custom-designing special fabrics) and upon the latest manufacturing techniques. Many of the larger items have lightweight steel frames, enabling them to be sat upon or 'ridden' by children or adults up to 100kg in weight (stability requires adult supervision).

A great part of Hansa's mission is to educate children and adults alike about the world's animals and so, as well as being very close plush recreations of the original, every Hansa Animal comes with a Toys That Teach tag, which describes each animal's habitat, lifestyle, gestation period, care of young, and eating habits. Whereas many European companies out-source from Asia, Hansa is itself based in the Philippines,enabling an excellent direct relationship with the local workforce (renowned for their artistic talent and meticulous eye for detail), as well as the obvious financial benefits which are reflected in the price. Hansa is strongly opposed to child labour and sub-standard work practices and believes that the treatment of its workers is reflected in the product. In practice, this has led to the formation of a highly motivated loyal force of experienced artisans, all of whom think of themselves as part of the Hansa family.