Clemens Bears was founded in 1948 in post-war Germany after Hans Clemens and his family arrived there from France. He had lost everything in the war but his tenacity and determination allowed Hans to open a little gift shop in Mannheim, Germany. He initially started selling glass, porcelain and gifts.Customers continually asked Hans for teddy bears as during this time, they were very hard to find in wartime.

To please his customers, Hans offered them teddy bears made from old army blankets. His sister stepped in to help and both produced these entirely by hand. The demand grew from the onset and Mr. Clemens decided to enlist his first employees to help out.

To this day, the quality and care it takes to produce a Clemens Bear has never changed. Each bear and cuddly critter is handmade by skilled German artisans. Every Clemens artisan receives at least six months of training before proceeding.

Many Clemens teddy bears have been awarded the Spielgut, which is the highest award for toys in the German toy industry. In addition to Clemens classic bears and animals, this company also employees several award-winning German teddy bear artists to create their own special lines of teddy bears. Some of these artists include Katya Bespalova, Anna Dazumal, and Angelika Schwind, to name just a few. This additional variety provides collectors with even more choices when deciding on their own special Clemens Bear.

Round the world, Clemens Bears are known for their unmistakable style and quality. To this day, each and every step of making a teddy bear is done by hand. And only after passing a stringent quality inspection is the Clemens "yellow triangle" attached to the teddy with his name and country of origin.