News 12 takes you to a unique teddy bear museum inside an 1860 farmhouse known as “The Den” of Marbletown.

This week’s Road Trip: Close to Home is taking you to a unique teddy bear museum inside an 1860 farmhouse known as “The Den” of Marbletown.

Inside there are thousands of stuffed animals from one of world’s first teddy bear companies. One room alone has nearly 500 teddy bears! “We are a Steiff Teddy Bear museum. Steiff was founded by a really amazing woman named Margarita Steiff in 1880 in Germany and nephew Richard created the first five-jointed teddy bear in 1902,” says owner Steve Ferris.

At The Den, you’ll walk into a historic world, taking you through the first decades of the teddy bear as we know it today. “Richard Steiff especially loved animals in motion. He did not like animals in cages. He wanted them to have fun,” says Ferri.

Some of the bears date all the way back to the early 20th century including one from 1904. “It is one of the world’s first teds ever made, you’re not going to find really an older ted than this.”

You’ll also learn that Steiff made certain bears loose jointed like a black bear made after the Titanic sunk in 1912. It was made to comfort kids who lost loved ones with a classic bear hug. 

But it’s not just teddy bears -there is also a whole other stash of collectibles right behind a sneaky door. “Welcome to our Madame Alexander room — this is where we show some of our Madame Alexander dolls.”

Ferri says they have roughly 4,000 dolls in their collection. The oldest is from the 1960s. 

Once you’re stuffed with fluffy history, grab a refreshing drink at Papa Bear’s Kitchen and enjoy it at the Mama Bear Lounge, surrounded by even more collectibles. Or, if you prefer the outdoors, come to the Teddy Bear Picnic Grounds to wrap up your day.