February 23 2018

Are You Interested in Stuffed Animals?

by Walter Meyer

I owned a retail toy store and bought stuffed animals wholesale to resell.

I searched for the best values I could find. The cheapest price is not always the best value. The quality of the toys are all  just as important as the lowest price.

A company’s reputation, the quality of the toys.  Are they safe?  The price and the company’s ability to deliver on time are all important. When ordering plush toys from a web site. You should keep all of these in mind.

If you are ordering plush on a website you will find Mary Meyer stuffed toys one of the best manufacturers. Continually new designs are being produced. Quality is excellent. They are safe.  Orders are delivered in a short period of time.  All in all, they are an excellent value for today’s stuffed toy buyers.

They also offer a large variety of retired designs from last year at very low prices. If you want to place an order or try a few to see if  their stuffed animals fit into your sales program, go to halfpriceplush.com.   Give them a try.  You will be glad you did.

 


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February 21 2018

Looking for Prizes, Gifts or Toys for Charity

by Walter Meyer

If you are looking for prizes, gifts or giveaways we can give you a variety of  low cost stuffed toys to choose from. If you are looking for toys for resale, their low prices are great for that too.
Mary Meyer is a designer and distributor of wholesale stuffed animals, with manufacturing at top quality factories in China. Each year we introduce over 200 new designs to take the place of retired designs. Our website- halfpriceplush.com sells those retired plush toys.
Why would people buy last year’s designs? Because our plush toys are on sale and the prices are below wholesale.
Mary Meyer’s designers work year round creating new toys. When we add 200 new designs to our line of stuffed toys, we have to retire 200 older ones or our current offering would be too large to manage after a few years.
Each year as we add new designs we have to retire some great selling toys to make room for the new ones. Those plush toys that are retired are then offered by our retired toys website – halfpriceplush.com .
Take a look at over 200 different stuffed toy animals to choose from. They are all first quality and retired to make space for other new designs.
If you are looking for stuffed toys for a charity, fund raising, prizes for a club or school or for resale, they’re here. Top quality, a great assortment of over 200 different styles at substantial discounts waiting to be shipped tomorrow.

by Walter Meyer
Mary Meyer’s son
Email- walter_meyer@marymeyer.com


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February 20 2018

Beautiful New Eagle Stuffed Toy at Special Price

by Walter Meyer

Another Special Kevin- the boss- gave me to sell was a handsome Brown and White Eagle. Someone placed an order for a few thousand pieces and went bankrupt. This left Mary Meyer holding the toys that they ordered. They were passed along to me. So now I have a thousand Eagles to sell. Fortunately they are a handsome toy and will sell easily.

This Eagle is 9” high and was originally an $18.00 retail stuffed toy. We reduced the wholesale price to $5.00. If you are interested in 100 or more pieces I probably can get you a better price.

This is a beautiful soft dark Brown and White plush toy Eagle stuffed with polyester fiber. The $5.00 price is a great low price. It’s a great stuffed toy and a great low price. I would suggest you order a few now, see how they sell at the price you want to charge. There is room enough to take an extra mark-up on an $18 toy that you paid $5.00 for. By the time you experiment to find the best selling price, there probably will be some Eagles left, so you can hit him a second time.

This is a really good deal. Better get an order in so you can start taking advantage of their Low, Low Price.

Sincerely,

Walter Meyer

email- walter_meyer@marymeyer.com


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October 18 2017

I Have a Great Fund Raising Idea

by Walter Meyer

If there is anything a charity needs it’s a product everyone wants. Fund raising at Christmas time can be very successful. I’ve done it for many years and Teddy Bears are very popular and in demand.

My wife volunteered to be the secretary of a local charity and she asked me one evening my thoughts on fund raising. It was in the fall and Christmas was coming.  I said, ”How about one of our Mary Meyer teddy bears” and we were off and running.

That was 15+ years ago and that charity has been using our bears ever since. That year it was used by the local chapter of the charity and they made about $800 profit. Today it’s many thousands of dollars and it covers the whole state of Vermont.

Fund raising with Mary Meyer stuffed toys is a wonderful activity. Everyone wins. The buyer buys a great product at a low price. The charity pays $5 and sells for $10 earning money they need to operate. Mary Meyer distributes more wonderful toys and makes kids happy. That’s how fund raising projects operate.

The charity I spoke about in the above example has continued to use our toys for the past 15 years. They continue to love our toys. Teddy bears were the first fund raising toys we used. Today we offer in addition, dogs, cats, horses, etc. Variety is the answer, plus low price and top quality.

Fund raising with Mary Meyer toys is a real winner.

by Walter Meyer
email –walter_meyer@marymeyer.com


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October 12 2017

I Can Help You . . .

by Walter Meyer

I Can Help You…

Charities need Christmas gifts for kids during the holiday season.   They have to be good quality and not cost too much.

If you are searching for low cost stuffed animals or plush toys to give to youngsters who might not get much of anything from Santa, I can help you.

Halfpriceplush.com  is a website and a great place to get great values for your dollars. Each year Mary Meyer stuffed toys retires over 100 designs and we offers them at below wholesale price. This is a great opportunity for a charity to pick up a variety of top quality stuffed toys at low, low prices.

A charity or any other group looking for quality toys at low cost can select from over 150 different sizes, shapes and prices direct from the manufacturer- all at below wholesale price and some at really giveaway prices. It depends what you need.

Take a look at Halfpriceplush.com and see what good deals we have for you.

by Walter Meyer

email – walter_meyer@marymeyer.com


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August 24 2017

Brand New Beautiful Lying Stuffed Dog

by Walter Meyer

Though our website- halfpriceplush.com sells retired Mary Meyer stuffed toys, we occasionally are given other Specials to sell. Recently my boss-  Kevin gave halfpriceplush a batch of brand new lying dogs to sell.

A company placed the order and we made the toys. The customer went bankrupt leaving us with a few thousand beautiful lying puppy dogs. Kevin gave them to me to offer to you.

This adorable Lying Dog is 14″ long and is a $25 retail toy.  We reduced the price to $6.00 each – about 50% off the wholesale price.

He’s a handsome stuffed toy dog at a great low price of $6.00 each. Sound good?  It’s a great deal at a super low price. You better order now before they’re all gone. You’ll find them at halfpriceplush.com .

You’ll never find a stuffed toy dog like this, at this price, ever again.

Sincerely,
Walter Meyer
email- walter_meyer@marymeyer.com

 


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May 03 2017

History of Mary Meyer Stuffed Toys

by Walter Meyer

      Mary Meyer Mfg. Co. was founded in 1933 by Hans – a salesman – and Mary Meyer – a seamstress. They were married and started the business in New York City.
Hans had been a very successful Fuller Brush salesman and Mary had worked for Miss Carol – a high-end women’s clothing maker.

     In the early 1930s when they started most women’s and children’s clothing were made by the mother or grandmother in the family.  Each woman had a sewing machine and all the needs to make a dress, a shirt or children’s clothing.  Each woman had needles, thread and a tomato pin cushion to hold their pins and needles.

     Mary Meyer created a new pincushion design when she made animal pin cushions.  Dogs, cats, lambs and horses were the first animal pin cushion designs, followed by a camel, giraffe and dolls as pin cushions. They were all made of cotton fabric and stuffed with cotton batting.

     Mary and “her girls” made them and Hans sold them to Woolworth’s, Kresge, Kress and all of the 5 & 10 cent stores.  The retail price was 49¢ . Hans also sold to the major department stores of the day- Marshall Field, JL Hudson, Hecht Co, etc.  Hans traveled all over the Eastern US by train carrying his sample case of animal pin cushions.  He also visited the buying office of the major chain stores in New York City.

     Though pin cushions were their main product, Mary created some baby toys. Using her animal designs, she made the toys from oil cloth, the same material needed in kitchen table cloths. The toys could be washed off and were clean again.

     In early 1940s baby and toddler stuffed toy cats and dogs were made from oil cloth so they could be wiped clean. Mary created washable toys for children that Hans would sell.  In the mid-1940s, Hans developed stomach ulcers from the stress of business and the family decided to move to Vermont and live a quieter life.

     But in 1948 Hans and Mary Meyer restarted their business. With a small staff of local sewers Mary taught them to make her pin cushions. Hans went back to selling his old customers and the business took off again.

     In the late 1940s, Mary found some plush fabric. Plush was the imitation fur fabric and Mary started with her old designs and made them with plush.

     In 1950 Mary Meyer printed their first black and white catalog of plush toys and they were off and running. That was over 60 years ago. today Mary Meyer sell their stuffed animals to over 10,000 retail stores in the USA and Canada, plus more to other stores through out the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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April 26 2017

My Life At Mary Meyer Stuffed Toys

by Walter Meyer

I’ve spent 50 years of my life here at Mary Meyer.  I started quite young because Mary Meyer was my Mother. I took over the designing in 1960 and did it until 1985, when my son Steven took over.
I created New designs while we were manufacturing here in Vermont. Steven took over when we took our manufacturing over-seas – first Korea now China.
The quality of the stuffed animals coming out of China today can be excellent- much better than what I was making here in 1960 to 1985.
The fabrics today from China are excellent if you are looking for top quality plush. They with-stand wear better, they are softer and more cuddly and they also wash better.
In addition today’s stuffing material washes and dries better. The whole toy lasts longer than previously made stuffed animals we made here.
After a youngster hugs, tugs and abuses a toy for a year, it may really  look awful. But under that ugly, beat up toy, if washed  and brushed, it could look like a fairly decent stuffed toy, because of the high quality of Chinese materials.


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June 14 2015

I Found 65 Year Old Toy Lamb My Mother Made

by Walter Meyer

My Mother made stuffed toy animals for over 50 years.  Her name is Mary Meyer and she and Dad started a stuffed toy manufacturing

Mary Meyer Stuffed Toy Lamb

#118 Mary Meyer Lamb

company in 1933. It’s still going today, managed by her four grandsons.

 

In the beginning she made animal pin cushions. These were stuffed animals that women stored their pins and needles in during the 1930s and 1940s. She used the same patterns and covered the animals in oil cloth, which was washable. This made a toy that could be washed after a child got it dirty.

 

In 1949 Mother was contacted by Plakie Toys of Youngtown, Ohio, who made plastic keys and rattles for babies.  They wanted us to make stuffed toys for Plakie to sell along with their plastic rattles to their customers.

 

I was 18 years old at the time and accompanied Mother to Youngstown by train to show Plakie Toys the samples she made for them.  They liked the samples, placed orders and we were off and running.  Mary Meyer manufactured stuffed plush toys for Plakie Toys under the Plakie label during 1949 and early 1950s.

 

Two years later Mary Meyer came out with a different assortment of stuffed toys offered under the Mary Meyer label.  Mary Meyer’s assortment or line of stuffed toys grew each year.  An Easter assortment was added, along with Valentine toys and toys designed for Christmas. Before we knew it we were offering over 100 designs.  In the mid 1980s Mary Meyer started manufacturing in the Orient – first Korea then China.

 

How do I know all of this stuff? I’m Walter Meyer.  Mary Meyer was my Mother.  She passed on in 1999 and saw many of the changes here.  I wish I had asked her more about how she designed stuffed animals and about working with companies like Plakie Toys.

 

The reason I am interested in Plakie Toys is, last month I found 2 Lambs made by my Mother 65 years ago with Plakie sewn in labels. One came from Indiana and the other Pennsylvania.  They are exactly the same Lambs as Mary Meyer made for her line of toys.

 

When you grow up in a family business each of these designs is like a member of the family.  You take one look at it and you know it’s yours.   #118 Lamb was White plush with felt eyes and nose with Red satin ribbon. It was a toy that sold for $1.69 in a toy store in the 1950s. We made it through the 1950s and 1960s.  I helped make thousands of them here at Mary Meyer in Townshend, Vermont

 

Do you have a White Lamb like this?  It might have a Plakie label or a Mary Meyer label sewn into the seam in it’s butt in your attic.

 

That White Lamb that sold for $1.69 in 1950, I paid $40 for on the internet.  I am very happy to have it, because my Mother and our company made it 65 years ago.

 


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June 08 2015

Me– Mr. Meyer, Featured in Southern Vermont Adventures

by Walter Meyer

Memorable Mr. Meyer! [profile]

Originally seen in Southern Vermont Adventures

By Don Sawyer
Yours truly has always found particular joy sharing human-interest narratives about real and memorable Vermonters – folks of compelling personality and achievement, people who have enriched our culture and our lives. We’ve enjoyed the cantankerous but lovable West Townshend “Old Goats” with their dry wit and country perspicuity. We’ve been inspired by mesmerizing Putney rib-master Curtis Tuff and gifted Windham woodworker Elden Mills; we’ve been awed by the business ingenuity of Manchester merchant Donald Dorr and Vermont Country Store progenitor Vrest Orton; and we’ve savored the succulent menus of the owners of such delicious destinations as the Arlington Inn, the Blue Benn Diner, T.J. Buckley’s, Chauncey’s, the Dam Diner, Dot’s, Fireworks and Top of the Hill Grill. Today we’re blessed to spend time with Townshend icon Walter Meyer, 84-year-old community legend and entrepreneurial sage.

 

Walter Meyer keeping company with one of the Meyer bears. (photo by Kayla Rice)

Walter Meyer keeping company with one of the Meyer bears. (photo by Kayla Rice)

Though not a native Catamount, Walter Meyer has lived here happily since age fourteen. His mother, renowned artisan Mary Meyer, grew up in New York City, child of French and German parents. Mary was classically trained in dressmaking but freely explored other sewing venues. Walter’s father, Hans, was a World War I Prussian soldier before passing through Ellis Island and marrying Mary. Hans worked tenaciously as an award-winning Fuller Brush salesman then turned his enterprise to Mary’s highly salable pincushions.

Some of our senior readers may have memories of Mary Meyer’s famous flower-patterned, animal-shaped pincushions which appeared in 1933 at popular department stores like Kresge’s and Woolworth’s. So favored were her creations that Hans expanded sale to most of the east coast.

In 1944 Walter’s dad burned out in his marketing career and, in a quest for romantic quietude, moved his family to Wardsboro, Vermont. Here Hans dreamed of bucolic farm life but soon realized that marketing Mary Meyer products was much easier than living off the land. Yet, the family loved Vermont and was thrilled to find comfortable residence, work space and labor potential in nearby Townshend. Mary abandoned her pincushions for “oil cloth” toys, later “plush” fur animals with stuffing that progressed from excelsior (wood shavings) to cotton to rubber to rayon. Wonderful samples of these early creations can be viewed at Walter’s Route 30 Townshend museum.

 

A young Walter Meyer flourished in Townshend, at first a bit work-evasive but gradually an industrious horse farm roustabout. So energetic was adolescent Walter that his boss nicknamed him “Speedy” (he humorously admitted that though he loved working with horses he never actually learned to ride them!). Walter was as affable and popular then as he is today, re-elected almost annually as Leland & Gray’s class president. This warmth of personality would ultimately become his greatest asset in the business world.

 

Walter Meyer’s farm experience primed him for his curriculum of agriculture/animal husbandry at the University of Vermont. It also contributed to future soft animal design work. In  1953 Walter served at Fort Dix where he fused some lifelong friendships and matured considerably. He concedes, “I was a dumb Vermont kid who grew up a lot in the Army.” Upon return to Vermont, Walter observed a soft toy trade in transition. Hans had opened a branch in Germany, eventually overseen by Walter’s 19-year-old sister Lorraine. She’s lived contentedly in Bavaria ever since.

 

By 1960 Walter had immersed himself fully in the Mary Meyer Company and co-managed it with his mother for 25 years. Hans passed away in 1964, just as the business was becoming more competitive. Worldwide passion for stuffed animals had burgeoned exponentially since early Egyptian dolls and Teddy bears fashioned to honor Theodore Roosevelt. By 1980, plush fur fabric became exclusive and expensive. Simultaneously, cheap labor hosts in Asia began to dominate. Eventually, even Mary Meyer switched production abroad and, two years ago reluctantly closed their Townshend retail outlet.

 

In 1985, Walter pared his own company status to sales rep. He created and still coordinates a product site called halfpriceplush.com, a special discount milieu for overstocked items. Mary Meyer Company competes favorably against strong foreign firms and noted American outfits like Douglas Cuddle Toys, Gund, TyInc, and Vermont Teddy Bear. Internet sales are sold, and Mary Meyer products temp customers of celebrated stores like Babies Are Us, L.L. Bean, Hallmark and Nordstrom. Well past retirement age, Walter continues to log measurable hours at the computer, generating income for the company and exploring unique product design.

 

Walter Meyer has replaced himself at the helm with four of his six offspring. Kevin, 54, serves as president, Steven, 53 as marketing and design manager, Michael, 52, as head of warehouse and shipping, and Peter, 51, as computer guru. Son Christopher, 56, once stood in as president but now thrives in Burlington at Great Northern Stereo; daughter Linda, 49, is a successful CPA, also in Burlington. Walter boasts 18 grandchildren to whom he’s infinitely devoted.

 

Most emphatically, Walter proclaims that none of his business success or personal fulfillment would be possible without the strength, wisdom and commitment of his incredible wife, Elaine, who once supervised the credit department while conducting family affairs of six children! Together, Elaine and Walter have infused themselves into the community while building an international business and establishing a home where the entire family finds solace. Son Steven shared that he and other middle-aged siblings routinely drop by Elaine and Walter’s house for lunch, just as they had done as children.

 

Walter’s mother, company founder Mary Meyer, passed on in 1999 after 94 vibrant years. She and Hans would indeed be proud of their son’s development of the business. They’d also be pleased that all product design takes place in Townshend with a sensitive balance of traditional Teddy bear styling and whimsical contemporary caprice. Imagine Mary’s reaction to new lines like coral-colored, squishy “Scribbles©” monkeys, kittens, ponies and gators, or ultra-soft “Marshmallow Zoo©” unicorns, lambs, Dalmatians and moose, or brand new “Print Pizzazz©” giraffes, hippos, hedgehogs and seahorses, or “Flip Flop© loons, dolphins, buffalo and longhorns, or maybe even “Sweet Rascal©” frogs, puppies, roos and owls, along with “Fab Fuzz©” foxes, zebras, raccoons and elephants.

 

Walter has seen his company successfully enter the lucrative baby market with “WubbaNub©” infant pacifiers affixed to pastel-spotted little plush “Nuzzle-Kitties©,” “WagsPuppies©,” “Stretch-Giraffes© and “Bobber-Duckies©.” Mary Meyer Company has expanded sales of padded blankets, cuddly cushions and animal mats while introducing more audio, visual and tactile adjuncts like rattles, teething toys and musical devices The “Taggies©” collection even includes baby boutiques ( thematic packages of blankets, toys, pacifiers and rattles). Walter assured me that all products go through metal detectors, have sonic-welded eyes, receive virtually no paint, lead based or other, and are tested by independent third-party laboratories.

 

My tour through Mary Meyer Company’s warehouse astounded me. A Route 30 passerby simply can’t see the building’s enormity and complexity. Products are fastidiously ordered, stored, packed, stacked and readied for shipment. A sizeable workforce is necessitated. Mr. Meyer walked me to a room of deep personal meaning to him, the Mary Meyer Museum. Nostalgic pincushions, oil cloth toys, excelsior-stuffed animals and early plush pieces – many made by Mary herself – perch proudly on the shelves. I would encourage readers to make appointment for a visit, just as school groups are invited to do.

 

Mary Meyer Company is truly a “family business,” a three-generational composite of loyalty, labor and love. With a warm smile Steven said about Walter, “Although he took us on fishing trips, my dad was always about work; business was the life of the family.” And work Walter did, but always with compassion and humility.

 

Retired soft sculpture artist Dianne Shapiro of Humane Trophies stated of Walter, “About 30 years ago Walter taught me how to do production cutting of plush. That made it easier to produce Humane Trophies on a larger scale! I will always be grateful for his help.”
Townshend Dam Diner owner Stephanie Schryba added, “Walter is an ageless supporter of the people and businesses of Townshend. Since I have been here (20 years), he has a strong presence in the Townshend Business Association and is always quick to lend a hand or advice.”

 

When I left 84-year-old Walter Meyer after our lengthy interview, he didn’t go home for a nap … he went back to work at the computer and in transit interacted ebulliently with several employees. With similar spirit he has contributed meaningfully to countless community groups: selectboard, school committee, volunteer fire department, EMT crew, lister team, church building committee and more. And the Mary Meyer Company has shared significantly with local benefits and Grace Cottage projects. Most of all, like the 40 or so folks now on staff, many southern Vermonters have found employment due to Walter’s efforts.

 

Besides creating beautiful pen and ink nature drawings, Walter intends to fill his future with his family, community and business endeavors, as he has always done. We who know Walter will stand by as he forges forward, and we’ll be forever grateful for his contributions to our lives. Mr. Meyer must definitely be cited as one of our most memorable residents, a gentleman you truly must meet.

 

“Diner Don” Sawyer has been painting classic Americana since 1988. He’s created over 200 prints of diners, drive-ins and  ‘road art,’ as well as New England scapes and scenes. His work can be viewed at his “home gallery” – Zephyr Designs, Main Street, Brattleboro – or ordered at www.dinerdon.com.

 

Originally seen in Southern Vermont Adventures


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