Wendy Boston began selling soft toys in 1947, at its peak, her company commanded 25% of Britain's soft toy market. Her unique selling point was that her toys were "Play Safe", by which she meant that they were all washable, had screwed in eyes, did not contain glass or wire and came individually boxed. Based in Abergavenny, Wendy Boston's toy factory suffered disastrous damage in 1955, during a fire that burnt her two storey factory to the ground, destroying valuable stock. Nonetheless, the business continued to thrive until 1968 when it was taken over by Denys Fisher toys, with the Abergavenny factory closing in 1976. Source: Newsam, A. and Davies, L. (nd) "Wendy Boston and the bears: the history of the toy industry in Abergavenny & Crickhowell".