TOYMAKER’S TEDDY TRIBUTE A HIT

Angela Merkel has been called many things during her 16 years as German chancellor. Soft and cuddly were rarely in the mix. But now, as Merkel prepares to leave office, a German toy company has unveiled a commemorative teddy bear that’s exactly that.

Hermann-Spielwaren - a century-old, family-owned toy manufacturer based in Coburg, Germany - began selling the 500 limited-edition bears in August. They sold out this week, days before Germans head to the polls today to choose their new leader.

Roughly 15 inches tall, the bear sports a blonde wig in the Chancellor’s bobbed style, a beaded necklace in the colours of the German flag and a slight smile. It is made of mohair in the traditional style, Martin Hermann, the firm’s owner, said. The bear’s paws are positioned in the “Merkel-Raute”

- the diamond shape considered to be Merkel’s signature hand gesture.

Special form

“This special form of holding her hands became really, really famous here in Germany, and we thought the bear has to have this hand style,” Hermann said. Hermann said the company’s teddy bears, some of which have won international design awards, are produced entirely in Germany. Its collection includes similar tributes to world leaders including President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth II.