This is a classic German gift, that's why I've decided to let history speak for itself:

The Steiff plush toy company was started in Germany in 1880 by Margarete Steiff, (1847-1909). A seamstress, she was confined to a wheelchair after contracting polio as a baby.

Making stuffed toys became her hobby, and her first creation was a small, stuffed, white felt elephant with blue trim that was intended as a pincushion.

Children liked playing with the elephants and her passion for making toys took root. Margarete coined the company's motto, "Only the best is good enough for children.

My first gift was a Steiff leopard, sporting a little silver button in its ear and a tiny yellow tag that said "Made in Germany by Steiff." That "Knopf Im Ohr," German for "button in ear" was developed by another nephew, Franz, in 1904, to prevent counterfeits from being sold as authentic Steiff toys.

We received this doll as a gift. We want our kids to grow up to be bi-lingual. They  immediately took to Emma. The doll speaks clearly in both english and german and is a great way to help reinforce what we are saying to them. I wish it had updates for new phrases as our kids great intro tool. We are thinking of getting another one for a different language.