Since the birth of the teddy bear in 1902, his looks has changed, sometimes quite radically too, of course it depends on the company producing the teddy bear as, since he was born, every soft toy company has it's own idea of how the teddy bear should look. Even the teddy bears inventors, Steiff, have changed the look of the teddy bear over the years.
The wonderful English Teddy Bear Company called Merrythought, has probably produced some of the most diverse and at the same time loveable teddy bears we know of. These teddy bears are cute, cuddly, infact they are seriously adorable, they are of course the very famous and wonderful 'Cheeky' Bears.
Cheeky Bear first made his appearance in 1956 at a trade fair. A customer picked him up and said "what a cheeky little bear" - the rest, as they say, is history because from then on his name stuck, he has been called Cheeky ever since!
The Cheeky Bear was designed by Jean Barber. The original bears were made from gold plush and shaggy gold mohair or art silk, they were kapok stuffed and had bells in both ears. Since his birth the Cheeky Bear has been made in a vast array of fabics and in some magnificant colours. Cheeky Bears are loved as much today (probably more so) than when they were first introduced to teddy bear lovers back in the 1950's.
Cheeky Bears are now collected the whole world over and they are extremely desirable to many lovers of teddy bears. I would say, however, that these teddy bears often fetch very high prices when they are sold at auction or at specialist teddy bear fairs, so it always pays to bring a Cheeky Bear home with you, especially if the Cheeky Bear you have chosen is from a very low edition size or if he is of an unusual colour, material or better still a combination of all these traits. If you are looking to buy a teddy bear as a gift for a very special person, I can think of no better teddy bear than a Cheeky Bear.
Cheeky Bears are just so full of character that they do make really excellent mascots and as they come in so many sizes, colours, etc. it makes choice appealing. The late singer Dusty Springfield owned a gorgeous little Cheeky Bear who she called Mr Einstein.
I love Cheeky Bears, there is one really special low edition bear that really is wonderful, it is a 'girl' Cheeky who I call Lavendar (because she is the colour of Lavendar and has beautiful curly mohair), she is a beautiful and desirable lady absolutely brimming full of life.
Teddy Bears, Teddy Bear, Bears, Teddies and more.
All at http://www.directbears.co.ukDirect Bears - Teddy Bears - Personalised - shipped worldwide
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http://www.directbears.co.uk
Friday, 14 May 2010
Thursday, 13 May 2010
Teddy Bears & Soft toys at Direct Bears
new article about teddy bears at www.directbears.co.uk
The name Teddy Bear comes from former United States President Theodore Roosevelt, whose nickname was "Teddy". The name originated from an incident on a bear-hunting trip in Mississippi in November 1902, to which Roosevelt was invited by Mississippi Governor Andrew H. Longino. There were several other hunters competing, and most of them had already killed an animal. A suite of Roosevelt's attendants, led by Holt Collier,[1] cornered, clubbed, and tied an American Black Bear to a willow tree after a long exhausting chase with hounds. They called Roosevelt to the site and suggested that he should shoot it. He refused to shoot the bear himself, deeming this unsportsmanlike,[2] but instructed that the bear be killed to put it out of its misery, and it became the topic of a political cartoon by Clifford Berryman in The Washington Post on November 16, 1902.[3] While the initial cartoon of an adult black bear lassoed by a white handler and a disgusted Roosevelt had symbolic overtones, later issues of that and other Berryman cartoons made the bear smaller and cuter.[4] Morris Michtom saw the drawing of Roosevelt and the bear cub and was inspired to create a new toy. He created a little stuffed bear cub and put it in his shop window with a sign that read "Teddy's bear," after sending a bear to Roosevelt and receiving permission to use his name. The toys were an immediate success and Michtom founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Co., which still exists today.[2]
At the same time, in Germany the Steiff firm, unaware of Michtom's bear, produced a stuffed bear from Richard Steiff's designs. They exhibited the toy at the Leipzig Toy Fair in March 1903 and exported 3000 to the United States.[5][6]
By 1906 manufacturers other than Michtom and Steiff had joined in and the craze for "Roosevelt Bears" was such that ladies carried them everywhere, children were photographed with them, and Roosevelt used one as a mascot in his bid for re-election.[5]
American educator Seymour Eaton wrote the children's book series The Roosevelt Bears,[7] while composer John Bratton wrote "The Teddy Bear Two Step" which, with the addition of Jimmy Kennedy's lyrics, became the song "The Teddy Bears' Picnic".[8]
Early teddy bears were made to look like real bears, with extended snouts and beady eyes. Today's teddy bears tend to have larger eyes and foreheads and smaller noses, babylike features that make them more attractive to buyers because they enhance the toy's cuteness. Also, now some bears come pre-dressed, sometimes for winter, spring, summer, or fall.
[edit]Production
10 modern day teddy bears of various types.
Commercially-made, mass-produced teddy bears are predominantly made as toys for children. These bears have safety joints for attaching arms, legs, and heads. They must have securely fastened eyes that do not pose a choking hazard for small children. These "plush" bears must meet a rigid standard of construction in order to be marketed to children in the United States and in the European Union.
There are also companies, like Steiff, that sell handmade collectible bears that can be purchased in stores or over the Internet.
The majority of teddy bears are manufactured in countries such as China and Indonesia. A few small, single-person producers in the United States make unique, non-mass produced teddy bears. One of the oldest remaining American manufacturers that produces "Made in the USA" teddy bears is Stuffington Bear Factory, open since 1959.[9]
Mohair, the fur shorn or combed from a breed of long haired goats, is woven into cloth, dyed and trimmed. Alpaca teddy bears are made from the pelt of an alpaca because the fiber is too soft to weave. In addition to mohair and alpaca, there is a huge selection of "plush" or synthetic fur made for the teddy bear market. Both these types of fur are commercially produced.
Some teddy bear artists specialize in the production of bears made from recycled materials. These artists hunt thrift stores, flea markets, garage sales and trash collection centers as well as their own and their families' basements and attics in search of forgotten treasures to be turned into a collector's dream. Old quilts, dresses, fur collars, coats and stoles as well as beaded bags and garments are quickly transformed into stunning teddy bears.
Some teddy bear artists specialize in crochet bears made out of thread. For these bears artists do not use fabric; they make the fabric crocheting and at the same time make the bear. Thread crochet bears are fully-jointed, miniature bears. They may be made out of cotton crochet thread, eyelash yarn, or other fiber.
www.directbears.co.uk
A modern teddy bear, with blue overalls, and a striped body.
Like already seen, the most teddy bear manufactures make bears with their own style. That leads to different favorite bears brands, like the Belgium Noukie's or the Steiff bears.
[edit]Popularity
A Build-A-Bear Workshop store.
Retail sales of stuffed plush animals including teddy bears was $1.3 billion in 2006.[10] The most commonly sold brands include Gund and Ty Inc. Brands associated with teddy bears that enjoyed strong popularity in the 1980s and 1990s are Teddy Ruxpin and Care Bears.
Teddy bears have seen a resurgence in popularity as national "do-it-yourself" chains have opened. Among the largest and best-known are Build-A-Bear Workshop and Vermont Teddy Bear Company.
Some popular mass-marketed teddy bears made today include Rupert, Sooty, Paddington, and Pudsey Bear. Books have also been written with the teddy bear featured as their main character. These include Winnie-the-Pooh, Corduroy, Teddy Tells Time, and Teddy Dressing.
[edit]Teddy bear museums
The world's first Teddy Bear Museum was set up in Petersfield, Hampshire, England, in 1984. In 1990, a similar foundation was set up in Naples, Florida, United States. These were closed in 2006 and 2005 respectively, and the bears sold by auction, but there are today many Teddy Bear Museums around the world.[11]
[edit]Teddy bear cops
Because police, fire and emergency officials found that giving a teddy bear to a child during a crisis stabilized them, NAPLC created the Teddy Bear Cops program to distribute teddy bears to police, fire, and emergency officials throughout the United States, for their use in providing teddy bears to children in emergency situations.[12][13]
[edit]Teddy bear festivals
Teddy bear festivals have now become popular around the world, taking place in America, Canada, Great Britain, Japan and Germany. A prime example of a such a festival can be seen in the Mitzi TV video "Bear Necessities".[14]
[edit]Brunus edwardii joke
In April 1972, issue 90 of The Veterinary Record included a paper on the diseases of Brunus edwardii: a description of lost limbs and thinning hair suffered by an animal whose Latin name means "bear" and "Edward". The paper was accompanied by sketches of a teddy bear resembling Winnie the Pooh.[15][16]
[edit]Kanna Inoue
Kanna Inoue is an artist who draws teddy bears. He was involved in a serious traffic accident in 2006 and had a long-term hospital stay. After almost giving up hope, he was inspired by a teddy bear and began to draw it. He produces not only paintings but also films, art objects and children`s books. He exhibits his unique work around the world.Neil at Direct Bears
www.directbears.co.uk
The name Teddy Bear comes from former United States President Theodore Roosevelt, whose nickname was "Teddy". The name originated from an incident on a bear-hunting trip in Mississippi in November 1902, to which Roosevelt was invited by Mississippi Governor Andrew H. Longino. There were several other hunters competing, and most of them had already killed an animal. A suite of Roosevelt's attendants, led by Holt Collier,[1] cornered, clubbed, and tied an American Black Bear to a willow tree after a long exhausting chase with hounds. They called Roosevelt to the site and suggested that he should shoot it. He refused to shoot the bear himself, deeming this unsportsmanlike,[2] but instructed that the bear be killed to put it out of its misery, and it became the topic of a political cartoon by Clifford Berryman in The Washington Post on November 16, 1902.[3] While the initial cartoon of an adult black bear lassoed by a white handler and a disgusted Roosevelt had symbolic overtones, later issues of that and other Berryman cartoons made the bear smaller and cuter.[4] Morris Michtom saw the drawing of Roosevelt and the bear cub and was inspired to create a new toy. He created a little stuffed bear cub and put it in his shop window with a sign that read "Teddy's bear," after sending a bear to Roosevelt and receiving permission to use his name. The toys were an immediate success and Michtom founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Co., which still exists today.[2]
At the same time, in Germany the Steiff firm, unaware of Michtom's bear, produced a stuffed bear from Richard Steiff's designs. They exhibited the toy at the Leipzig Toy Fair in March 1903 and exported 3000 to the United States.[5][6]
By 1906 manufacturers other than Michtom and Steiff had joined in and the craze for "Roosevelt Bears" was such that ladies carried them everywhere, children were photographed with them, and Roosevelt used one as a mascot in his bid for re-election.[5]
American educator Seymour Eaton wrote the children's book series The Roosevelt Bears,[7] while composer John Bratton wrote "The Teddy Bear Two Step" which, with the addition of Jimmy Kennedy's lyrics, became the song "The Teddy Bears' Picnic".[8]
Early teddy bears were made to look like real bears, with extended snouts and beady eyes. Today's teddy bears tend to have larger eyes and foreheads and smaller noses, babylike features that make them more attractive to buyers because they enhance the toy's cuteness. Also, now some bears come pre-dressed, sometimes for winter, spring, summer, or fall.
[edit]Production
10 modern day teddy bears of various types.
Commercially-made, mass-produced teddy bears are predominantly made as toys for children. These bears have safety joints for attaching arms, legs, and heads. They must have securely fastened eyes that do not pose a choking hazard for small children. These "plush" bears must meet a rigid standard of construction in order to be marketed to children in the United States and in the European Union.
There are also companies, like Steiff, that sell handmade collectible bears that can be purchased in stores or over the Internet.
The majority of teddy bears are manufactured in countries such as China and Indonesia. A few small, single-person producers in the United States make unique, non-mass produced teddy bears. One of the oldest remaining American manufacturers that produces "Made in the USA" teddy bears is Stuffington Bear Factory, open since 1959.[9]
Mohair, the fur shorn or combed from a breed of long haired goats, is woven into cloth, dyed and trimmed. Alpaca teddy bears are made from the pelt of an alpaca because the fiber is too soft to weave. In addition to mohair and alpaca, there is a huge selection of "plush" or synthetic fur made for the teddy bear market. Both these types of fur are commercially produced.
Some teddy bear artists specialize in the production of bears made from recycled materials. These artists hunt thrift stores, flea markets, garage sales and trash collection centers as well as their own and their families' basements and attics in search of forgotten treasures to be turned into a collector's dream. Old quilts, dresses, fur collars, coats and stoles as well as beaded bags and garments are quickly transformed into stunning teddy bears.
Some teddy bear artists specialize in crochet bears made out of thread. For these bears artists do not use fabric; they make the fabric crocheting and at the same time make the bear. Thread crochet bears are fully-jointed, miniature bears. They may be made out of cotton crochet thread, eyelash yarn, or other fiber.
www.directbears.co.uk
A modern teddy bear, with blue overalls, and a striped body.
Like already seen, the most teddy bear manufactures make bears with their own style. That leads to different favorite bears brands, like the Belgium Noukie's or the Steiff bears.
[edit]Popularity
A Build-A-Bear Workshop store.
Retail sales of stuffed plush animals including teddy bears was $1.3 billion in 2006.[10] The most commonly sold brands include Gund and Ty Inc. Brands associated with teddy bears that enjoyed strong popularity in the 1980s and 1990s are Teddy Ruxpin and Care Bears.
Teddy bears have seen a resurgence in popularity as national "do-it-yourself" chains have opened. Among the largest and best-known are Build-A-Bear Workshop and Vermont Teddy Bear Company.
Some popular mass-marketed teddy bears made today include Rupert, Sooty, Paddington, and Pudsey Bear. Books have also been written with the teddy bear featured as their main character. These include Winnie-the-Pooh, Corduroy, Teddy Tells Time, and Teddy Dressing.
[edit]Teddy bear museums
The world's first Teddy Bear Museum was set up in Petersfield, Hampshire, England, in 1984. In 1990, a similar foundation was set up in Naples, Florida, United States. These were closed in 2006 and 2005 respectively, and the bears sold by auction, but there are today many Teddy Bear Museums around the world.[11]
[edit]Teddy bear cops
Because police, fire and emergency officials found that giving a teddy bear to a child during a crisis stabilized them, NAPLC created the Teddy Bear Cops program to distribute teddy bears to police, fire, and emergency officials throughout the United States, for their use in providing teddy bears to children in emergency situations.[12][13]
[edit]Teddy bear festivals
Teddy bear festivals have now become popular around the world, taking place in America, Canada, Great Britain, Japan and Germany. A prime example of a such a festival can be seen in the Mitzi TV video "Bear Necessities".[14]
[edit]Brunus edwardii joke
In April 1972, issue 90 of The Veterinary Record included a paper on the diseases of Brunus edwardii: a description of lost limbs and thinning hair suffered by an animal whose Latin name means "bear" and "Edward". The paper was accompanied by sketches of a teddy bear resembling Winnie the Pooh.[15][16]
[edit]Kanna Inoue
Kanna Inoue is an artist who draws teddy bears. He was involved in a serious traffic accident in 2006 and had a long-term hospital stay. After almost giving up hope, he was inspired by a teddy bear and began to draw it. He produces not only paintings but also films, art objects and children`s books. He exhibits his unique work around the world.Neil at Direct Bears
www.directbears.co.uk
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Rupert the Bear Teddy from Direct Bears
BILL BADGER - FRIEND OF RUPERT THE BEAR
Another Collectable Teddy Bear from (http://www.directbears.co.uk) Direct Bears.
As a Steiff stockist, we are proud to introduce Bill Badger. Here Steiff have made a soft and cuddly Billy Badger look fantastic with the attention to details being of the highest quality. Exquisitely dressed in his striped trousers, shirt, yellow waistcoat and buttoned jacket. His face has the wonderful characteristics of a real badger with the black and white markings. He is hand washable. Comes with a yellow label and famous Steiff gold-plated button in the ear.
Check out our other Teddy Bears at (http://www.directbears.co.uk) www.directbears.co.uk
Another Collectable Teddy Bear from (http://www.directbears.co.uk) Direct Bears.
As a Steiff stockist, we are proud to introduce Bill Badger. Here Steiff have made a soft and cuddly Billy Badger look fantastic with the attention to details being of the highest quality. Exquisitely dressed in his striped trousers, shirt, yellow waistcoat and buttoned jacket. His face has the wonderful characteristics of a real badger with the black and white markings. He is hand washable. Comes with a yellow label and famous Steiff gold-plated button in the ear.
Check out our other Teddy Bears at (http://www.directbears.co.uk) www.directbears.co.uk
Steiff Stieff Teddy Bears at Direct Bears.co.uk
Steiff Teddy Bears from Direct Bears
We have a massive range of Steiff Teddy Bears. We have placed them into our collectable Teddy Bears section As a Steiff stockist, we are proud to introduce Algy Pug. Algy Pug - who as we all know is a friend of Rupert the Bear. He is made from soft cuddly knitted brown plush and is dressed just as Algy likes. Yellow label with famous Steiff gold-plated button in the ear. Hand washable. Recommended for 36 month and older. Size 28cm. He is a quality Teddy and you will not regret it if you bought it for yourself.
Go on - Treat yourself.
Check out all our other Teddy Bears at www.directbears.co.uk
Thanks
Neil
We have a massive range of Steiff Teddy Bears. We have placed them into our collectable Teddy Bears section As a Steiff stockist, we are proud to introduce Algy Pug. Algy Pug - who as we all know is a friend of Rupert the Bear. He is made from soft cuddly knitted brown plush and is dressed just as Algy likes. Yellow label with famous Steiff gold-plated button in the ear. Hand washable. Recommended for 36 month and older. Size 28cm. He is a quality Teddy and you will not regret it if you bought it for yourself.
Go on - Treat yourself.
Check out all our other Teddy Bears at www.directbears.co.uk
Thanks
Neil
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