What Are Teddy Bears Stuffed With? | The Real Fillings Inside

Most teddy bears today are stuffed with polyester fiberfill, the same fluffy synthetic used in pillows and jackets.

That question about teddy bear stuffing usually comes up for one of two reasons: a parent checking safety standards before handing a bear to a child, or a collector trying to identify what’s inside a vintage find. The answer differs by era, so let’s break down what fills teddy bears now, what filled them a century ago, and what U.S. safety rules say about the stuffing in children’s toys.

What Stuffing Do Modern Teddy Bears Use?

The vast majority of teddy bears manufactured today are stuffed with polyester fibers, also called fiberfill or polyfill. It’s soft, lightweight, machine-washable, and inexpensive, which makes it the default choice for mass-produced plush toys. Even the Smithsonian’s collection includes a stuffed teddy bear documented with polyester stuffing and 100% polyester plush fabric.

Polyester fiberfill comes in a few forms:

• Loose fiberfill — the fluffy, cloud-like batting that gives bears their soft, squishy feel.
• Fiber pellets — small polyester beads that add weight and a beanbag-like texture, often used in limbs or the lower body so a bear can sit upright.
• Blended fills — a mix of loose fiber and pellets, common in bears designed for hugging, since the combination feels substantial without being heavy.

What you almost never find is cotton. The phrase “cotton stuffing” shows up in marketplace listings, but official manufacturing guidance and toy industry practice point to polyester as the modern standard.

What Did Traditional Teddy Bears Use?

Before synthetic fibers existed, teddy bear manufacturers stuffed their creations with wood wool, also known as excelsior. Wood wool is made from thin, curly shavings of wood — usually aspen or similar softwoods — that were steamed and curled into a springy, resilient mass.

Wood wool gave early 20th-century bears a firmer, more structured feel than modern polyfill, which is why antique and vintage bears often hold their shape so well. The material had a distinct smell of wood that many collectors still associate with genuine old bears. Today, wood wool excelsior is still sold specifically for vintage bear repairs and for artists making reproduction bears from period-correct materials.

Some specialty and high-end bears use other fills too:

• Sheep’s wool — found in premium or artisanal bears, valued for its natural, breathable properties.
• Granulated materials — glass beads, steel shot, or polyester pellets, used to add weight or create a poseable, weighted feel.

If you’re repairing a vintage bear and want to keep it authentic, sourcing wood wool for the restoration matters; a modern polyfill refill changes both the feel and the historical character.

Is There A Safety Standard For Teddy Bear Stuffing?

Yes — and it matters if the bear is intended for a child 12 years old or younger. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requires that children’s toys be third-party tested and certified as compliant with applicable safety rules before they’re sold.

For stuffed toys, the relevant rules include 16 C.F.R. part 1250, which incorporates the ASTM F963 toy safety standard. Within that standard, Section 4.3.7 — Stuffing Materials — is explicitly listed by the CPSC as a section requiring third-party testing. That means a plush toy’s stuffing must be verified to meet requirements for cleanliness, flammability, and absence of hazardous materials before it can carry a Children’s Product Certificate.

So when you’re buying a bear for a young child, look for a label that indicates compliance with U.S. toy safety standards. That’s your assurance that the stuffing inside — whether polyester, wool, or something else — passed the required testing.

For adults who want a collectible or display bear without a specific age-grade concern, the material choice is more about feel and authenticity than safety. A bear stuffed with sheep’s wool or weighted with glass beads can be wonderful for display, but it’s not the same category as a certified children’s toy.

Can You Change What A Teddy Bear Is Stuffed With?

Restuffing a bear is a common repair, and it’s a straightforward task if you’re comfortable opening a seam. The old fill comes out, the new material goes in, and the seam gets closed with a ladder stitch that’s nearly invisible. If you’re preserving value in a vintage bear, keep the original wood wool if it’s intact; if it’s degraded, replacement wood wool preserves authenticity better than polyfill.

For a modern bear that’s lost its fluff, polyester fiberfill from a craft store works perfectly and lets you control the firmness — pack it loosely for a soft, huggable bear, or pack it densely for a firm, structured one. When you or your child are ready for a new bear rather than a repair, our roundup of the best bear stuffed toys covers well-made options across price ranges.

It’s also worth knowing what NOT to use for restuffing: cotton batting tends to clump and flatten quickly, and shredded foam rubber degrades into dust over time. Polyester fiberfill, wool, or wood wool are the materials that hold up.