Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Please meet Callie, an Artist Teddy bear by Sarah Farrell of Teat Time Teddies

Please meet Callie, an Artist Teddy bear created by Sarah Farrell of Tea Time Teddies in Grass Valley, California.  She was crafted in the late 1990s.   She is made of a grayish blue sparse mohair.    She has all her original tags.  She has glass eyes and is purposefully loosely jointed, making her head slightly wobbly.   She is firmly stuffed and a big girl at 18 inches tall.   She is in excellent, pristine condition.

Callie is a Teddy bear who has never been able to make up her mind, although she would not describe herself that way.   She says she is decisionally-challenged, and that there's nothing wrong with that.    What Teddy bear hasn't stood in front of a bakery counter and found themselves vacillating between the powdered doughnuts and the almond bear claws?   None she knows of.   She isn't the first ted who couldn't decide between the Cocoa Cloud Macchiato  and the White Chocolate Mocha Frappucino.  Don't even bother asking her what her favorite book or movie is.   She isn't sure.  


As an experienced traveler, Callie is hard pressed to name her best-loved destination.   She enjoys watching the sun set over the beaches on the warm evenings in California as much as she adores waiting for the sun to rise at the Jersey Shore.   She's been on thrilling skiing holidays in Norway, but then there was that heart-stopping climb to the hotel stationed on a cliff in Peru.   Who could forget the visit to the Blue Mosque in Instabul or driving the Hardknott Pass where the Ancient Romans once had a fort?   And what about the cruise to the Galapagos Islands with the gigantic sea tortoises?   Callie just can't say which of her journeys was the best.

Callie has many Teddy bear friends, but which one is her best pal, she couldn't say.   She supposes they're all her best mates.   Amanda is her smartest friend.    Steffie has a great sense of humor.  Dory always gives her wise advice.   You can always count on Nora to have the best puddings.   Bradley is a very handy and helpful bear who can fix things in a pinch.   Emma is the most generous of Teddy bears.  When she needs a sympathetic ear, Callie turns to Pamela.   Kennedy can be counted on for a fun night.   Josephine knows just what to say she's feeling down.   Jackson freely gives financial advice and balances her checkbook.   She loves each and every one of them.

Surprisingly, it's in the most uncertain of times when Callie does well.   In the midst of an an emergency, she is able to stay calm.    When she lived in southern California, she once experienced the rumblings of an earthquake.   While all the other bears in  the hug became terrified, she coolly led the teds, in  single file, to safety outside.   If she passes a bruin in distress, she stops to help.   When a free bear hug is needed, Callie is there to provide a big embrace.   In the midst of a violent storm, she remains at peace.   In a crisis, she puts the kettle on, pours the tea, and with biscuits in paw, will help sort things out.

Living in the northeast now, Callie isn't sure which season of the year she loves best, the warm spring days when gardens start to bloom, the lazy hot summers relaxing under a beach umbrella, the warm apple pies of autumn when the leaves change color, or the cold snowy winters when cocoa feels best in her tummy, but despite certainty not being her strong point, she knows she is as happy as she makes up her mind to be.









        
 







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Thursday, April 23, 2020

Please meet Karl, an antique 1950s Anker Teddy bear from Germany!






















Please meet Karl, a 1950s antique/vintage Teddy bear produced by Anker Plush Toy Company in Munich, Germany!!   His soft Dralon plush fur is a reddish brown color.   He has no tags.  He is stuffed with straw, and surprisingly his press squeaker is still working.   He wears a new red ribbon.   He is about 16 inches tall and in excellent condition.

Karl liked to walk around with his nose in the air.   This was not without certain innate  problems:     He was always bumping into things.   Other Teddy bears thought he was a little snooty.   He lost his way, A LOT.   He failed to notice puddles when it rained. On bright days, the sun glare in his eyes was horrendous.  He tripped on any uneven pathways.   Going down stairs was a nightmare.  When asked what his favorite animal was at the zoo, it was limited to giraffes.   He eventually developed a crick in his neck, which led to several courses of chiropractic manipulations.

Of course, the logical solution for him was to at least occasionally keep his eyes straight ahead and to look down when the occasion warranted, but Karl wasn't the logical type of Teddy bear.   He loved to watch birds soar, monitor the skies for any upcoming changes in the weather, fly canvas kites in the park, and observe his beloved giraffes nibble at the top of the trees.  

His friends and family were very concerned about Karl, and from time to time arranged various interventions and offers of help, pleading with the bear to keep his nose facing straight before he suffered dire consequences, but Karl would have none of it.   He simply and stubbornly preferred to gaze upwards.   Ultimately, everyone accepted the fact that Karl was never going to change unless he wanted to.

Employment wise, Karl first made technical drawings for high-rise apartment buildings for a large architectural company, in due course opening his own design firm.  He received many prestigious awards and was hailed in the industry as a maverick, known for his quirky but practical engineering.   Karl was the first architect to create lavender-infused Teddy bear condominiums to greatly reduce dust and moth infestations, and his kitchens invented for the large-pawed Teddy bear crowd started a global trend.

To the general Teddy bear public, Karl was a huge success, but behind the scenes, Karl knew he had somehow lost his way.   He still loved the birds, the kites, the weather and giraffes, but frankly, he was beginning to feel unfulfilled.   He drew himself up a plan.   Nothing radical, just day by day.   The first day he kept his nose straight for one minute.  The next day, two.   The third day, three.   And so on.    Before long, his friends noticed a difference in Karl.   Karl began to notice differences around him, too.   He was less clumsy, bears would greet him with a smile, he didn't get lost as often, he discovered there were small birds perched on branches near the ground, he now watched the weather report on the telly, the cuffs of his trousers are no longer muddy, and there were other interesting animals at the zoo besides the giraffes, and as far as his cervical spine is concerned, it's much improved.  

To date, Karl hasn't met the love of his life, but he remains hopeful.  The thing he knows for sure is things are looking up.

       


  







  
          

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Please meet Hamish, a very rare Teddy bear created by artist Gary Nett of Bears

Please meet Hamish, a very rare Teddy bear created by artist Gary Nett of Bears by Nett of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.   He's from the late 1990s.   These bears are typically limited editions, but his paperwork has been lost.   He is made of mohair, and as a bagpiper wears an incredibly detailed outfit with a black embroidered jacket, red tartan kilt with little sporran, red and black socks, buckled brogue shoes and a feather bonnet.   His bagpipes are made of wood and the bag itself is a dark blue tartan.    He is in excellent condition. 

Hamish might have been born near a Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania, but his heart belongs to Scotland.    From the time he was a young cub, he was enthralled by the stories he heard from his father, who emigrated to America soon after adult bearhood.    Hamish imagined his forebears raising hundreds of sheep on common pastureland surrounded by lochs and glens and romantic castles, a world away from the hustle and bustle of a city bear's life.

The first time Hamish traveled to his ancestral home, it was overwhelming.   First, he had to adjust his ears to the burr of the Scottish accent.   He hardly understood the Teddy at the reception desk of his hotel.   It sounded like, "It's awfy dreich ootside the day," whatever that meant.   Then he made the mistake of renting a car.    It was quite the adjustment driving on the left side of the road, let alone shifting the car with his left paw and tackling all those roundabouts.   He kept his eyes peeled on the road, unable to enjoy the scenery, so when he finally reached his father's family farm, he was exhausted, but happy to arrive in one piece. 

The moment Hamish pulled up to the farmhouse, the front door opened and out streamed Teddy bears of all sizes and colors, extending their paws in greeting.   They were just as excited to meet Hamish as Hamish was to meet them.   Introductions were made all around, and the bears headed over to the pub for a wee dram of the best single malt in the house.   His cousin Angus taught him how to play snooker, and before the night was over, Hamish felt like he was accepted as an honorary member of the Scottish clan.

Early the next morning, Hamish was awakened by the bleating of four hundred Black Faced Scots.   The nearest Hamish had been to sheep was at the yearly Wool and Fiber Festival in Maryland.   Now he had the opportunity to see a crofter's life up close.   Following a breakfast that included eggs, bacon, toast, and a serving of black pudding, he was greeted by his cousin Fergus and two border collies in the yard.    They rode an ATV up to the fields above the farm, where the two teds and two dogs gently herded the animals into a new grazing area.   Hamish never experienced anything like it before, and nothing like it since.  The time he spent with his relatives in Scotland created the best memories of his lifetime.  On the evening before he was due to return home, Hamish listened to the sound of the bellwether sheep, as she led the flock into the next field.   He might not be a native Scot, but he was delighted and proud to have these Teddy bears as his family.

He returns to Scotland every year on holiday, and he's even become accustomed to the Glaswegian accent.   Well, for the most part anyway.   After years of study, he's now an accomplished piper, and at every family gathering, in America or in Scotland, he'll be dressed in his kilt and brogues and feather bonnet, playing his bagpipes, like his heart belongs to Scotland.           




Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Please meet Kris, a 2006 Steiff Limited Edition Father Christmas Teddy bear

Please meet Kris, a Limited Edition Steiff Father Christmas Teddy bear.  He was manufactured in 2006, and he is number 434 of 2006 produced worldwide.  He retains all his tags.  He has soft white alpaca fur and wears a hooded green velvet coat that is trimmed in white faux fur and closes with a stylish gold cord.  He has an unusual red nose with gold thread accents.   Kris also has a music box inside which plays, "We Wish you a Merry Christmas."  He has flat feet, and he can carefully stand on his own.  He is 10 inches tall and is in excellent, pristine condition.

There are a lot worse things in life for a Teddy bear than being part of the Steiff family.    You could be one of those bears that are packed away in a box when a child has lost interest, spending years collecting dust with moths eating away at your unmentionables, or you could be on an online auction block for a few pennies doing your best to keep smiling, hoping some sad sack, lonely person clicks on the Buy-It-Now option, or even worse,  end up in the dustbin headed for the crematorium.

Steiff has produced millions of Teddy bears and all sorts of woodland creatures and dolls  since Margarete Steiff sold her first toy elephant in the 1880s in Germany.  When you're an ordinary Steiff bear, there's always the possibility you will be deemed a valuable heirloom and handed down from generation to generation in a bear-centric family.   When you're a Steiff limited edition holiday Ted like Kris, you are definitely a very special Teddy bear.  Rank certainly has its privileges.

Kris loved his green velvet coat and took special care to ensure its longevity.   Other Teddy bears regularly commented on the quality of his bright white alpaca fur, and as part of his morning ablutions, those threads of gold on his nose were kept looking primped and polished.   His daily exercise regimen, which consisted of simply touching his toes ten times in the morning, kept his body nice and plump as a Teddy bear ought to be.   He set his standards very high.

Of course, Kris enjoyed his Father Christmas role, and when he cried "ho-ho-ho" with his booming voice, there was no greater feeling than to see a young bear cub's eyes light up with excitement.   But there were times throughout the year when he shed his festive attire and went into the world wearing a hat to cover his ear flag and button and a jacket that hid his chest tag from view.  He just wanted to be part of the regular Teddy bear crowd.   It gave him a sense of freedom when he wasn't constrained by any preconceived expectations.   

He remembers one day in particular when he observed a group of Teddy bears who were huddled together in the park.  They were trying to organize a pickup game of American flag football, but they needed one more player.   Before he realized it and against his better judgment, he was recruited.    He didn't pretend to know all the rules, and with those flat feet of his, he worried he couldn't run very well, but his fellow teammates encouraged him as they ran up and down the field, chasing the ball carrier, trying to remove the flag from his belt.    At the end of the day, he was an exhausted, slightly muddy and very, very happy Teddy bear.    He invited his new friends out to his favorite ice cream parlor, where they ordered everything on the menu, sundaes and banana splits and gelato and even frozen yogurt.   Afterwards, he bid them goodnight with a spirited "ho-ho-ho."   Rank does indeed have its privileges. 
   







       






Monday, April 20, 2020



Please meet Pansy, a super cute One-of-a-Kind Artist Teddy bear made by Donna Hodges of the Bearons of LaJolla in California.   She's from the early 1990s.  Her mohair is bright pink, but at some point in her life, she was exposed to lots of sun and so she has a little bit of fading on her upper back.  She has her original tush tag and wears a little pink hair ribbon.  Her tummy is filled with pellets, so she's is a little slumpy.  She is 10 inches tall.  She is in overall excellent condition.

Pansy was for the most part a small but serious Teddy bear.  Her fluffy pink fur coat made other Teddy bears think otherwise.   One quick glance at that little bow on her head, and she was dismissed as silly and juvenile.   Her voice was high and squeaky, too,  which didn't exactly inspire confidence in the little bear.   Plus, it didn't help that her nickname was "Pansy," and she considered rebranding herself with a different moniker when she was old enough, but changed her mind, as Teddy bears are wont to do.  She decided she was happy she was named after her great-great grandmother, Panzer, another tough cookie who was built like a tank.

The Bearon clan, of which Pansy was a member, was known in the bear society for its honesty, dedication, devotion, strength of character, intelligence and the ability to spell words with more than ten letters without hesitation, but Pansy rarely used her surname.   She didn't want to use it as a crutch.   She was determined to achieve success without the trappings of family lore.   Once she set her sights on a goal, she went for it.  If she failed, so be it.   At least she did her level best.

Naturally, there were failures from time to time.    As a young bear cub, against her father's wishes, Pansy joined the local swim club.  After watching the Summer Olympics one year, she had a strong desire to be the next freestyle champion swimmer.   Unfortunately, the beads in her abdomen made her sink to the bottom of the pool, and the chemicals in the water left her fur looking less than glamorous.    Her two-year stint playing professional miniature golf at the beach, although exhilarating, left her permanently faded, and on her curriculum vitae there's no mention of her disastrous employment as an accountant.   She has rightly come to the conclusion there are some jobs Teddy bears are just not cut out for. 

Pansy's career path took many surprising twists and turns.   As she gained more life experience, she became more focused.   No more did she make snap decisions with the consequent regrets.   She concentrated on what her particular skills were, and when she interacted with other bears, whether they be for a potential  job offer or a romantic encounter, she spoke with conviction, and the teds who perhaps once misjudged her as a fuzzy-headed bear, were pleasantly surprised at how self-assured and bright she truly was.

Today, despite a lack of personal name recognition, there are millions of Teddy bears around the world who would recognize the corporate empire Pansy established.   Bearazon Enterprises is a global leader in specialty baked goods for Teddy bears, selling everything from ahi tuna to zeppoles.

As for Pansy herself, she has retired to a small coastal town in California.   She sold the Bearazon business several years ago, and after wisely investing the proceeds of the sale in an almond tree farm in the northwest, she has enough of a nest egg to keep her in more honey than she can eat for many years to come.   Despite the pink fur and that little bow on her head, everyone now takes her very seriously.                     







   




Saturday, April 18, 2020

Please meet Delia, a One-of-a-Kind Artist Teddy bear by Canna Paint Bears.

Please meet Delia, a One-of-a-Kind Teddy bear by Canna Paint Bears, created by the very talented Margaret and Kelly Zimmerman.  I believe she was crafted in the 1990s.  She is made of a rust colored, wavy mohair with airbrushed accents to her face.  She has that Steiff-like style, with long arms and suede paw pads.  She is very firmly stuffed and is about 12 inches tall.   She is in excellent condition.

Not long after Delia moved into her new home, the Teddy bears referred to her as "a nosy parker."   When they walked by her front gate in the morning, she would often be weeding in the garden.   If she noticed a bear ambling down the lane, she would wave them over and ask what felt like 150 questions.  Most Teddy bears would keep their furry heads down and pass her little cottage at a brisk pace and avoid catching Delia's eye.   Some bears even started wearing earmuffs all year round or used earbuds despite having left their mobiles home.   Teds who were more polite or didn't know better would stop for what they thought was a short chat and then were late for work or for scheduled appointments, promising to return another day.  They never did.

But it wasn't her inquisitiveness that was the problem.   As we all know, bears are naturally very curious creatures.   The fact was Delia never revealed anything about herself.   She regularly popped into her neighbors' homes, where they would discover her helping herself to a chocolate biscuit or a cool glass of lemonade or having a little look-see around their gardens, sometimes pocketing a cutting from their border plants for her own flowerbeds. And yet no one had a memory of Delia ever having guests.  The local Teddy bears realized Delia repeated what she heard, clarifying any information she gathered, so if a mama bear mentioned her son's dilemma with his lady bears or her sister's health issues, the entire neighborhood would soon know about it, too.
 
At times she appeared scatterbrained, stopping mid sentence, jotting down a few lines in her well-worn notebook, then disappearing back into her cottage at the slightest distraction.   Whatever Teddy bear was in conversation with her at the time would simply take a deep breath, consider themselves fortunate and be on their way.

On the positive side, however, Delia was the most well-informed bear in the village.   If a bruin wanted to know who was the new resident two streets away or when was the best time to catch the mayor in his office or which pub had the most delectable desserts, Delia would have all the answers, but an excuse needed to be at the ready if they wanted to get away quickly, or else the entire afternoon would be spent in front of Delia's home instead of  more important things being accomplished, like making extra strawberry jam or posting fun pictures on Bearstagram.

When I knew Delia, she was just the same way, asking too many questions, secretive,  making notes in a little notebook, maybe sometimes a little scatterbrained, but knowledgeable about current events.   She was evasive when I asked about her personal details, and on a number of occasions I found her in the kitchen helping herself to cookies and lemonade.  I also noticed several plants in the garden had missing sections of new growth.

The day she left our hug, as per usual, a sending-off party was held for her by all the cuddly toys.   She thanked each and every one of us personally, and whispered to me she knew she would enjoy her new assignment.   Oops.   I mean, her new home.      









  

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Please meet Klik and Klak, two antique Japanese Teddy bears.

Please meet Klik and Klak, two antique Japanese Teddy bears.  They are quite small at 2.75  and 3 inches.   They are made of a dense cork material with a cloth, almost velour-type covering.   They are probably from the 1950s, or maybe even before.    They have pin joints, so little metal rods go through the body to the side of each limb, and their arms and legs move together.   Their heads are stationary.  They both have celluloid eyes, and Klak, the black one, is missing his nose, although he does have his "Made in Japan" sticker, which is pretty rare.

Klik and Klak are often mistaken for brothers, but they aren't related at all.   They just grew up in the same small village in Japan.   When most Teddy bears think of Japan, Tokyo and Osaka come to mind or maybe a few other large cities, but the truth is, there is a portion of Japan that is largely rural, especially the area nicknamed the Japanese Alps.   Today millions of tourists and hikers flock to the area, but despite its fame in Asia, many bears in the west haven't even heard of it.

Klik and Klak lived on neighboring farms in the foothills of the Hida Mountains, where both soybeans and buckwheat flour were grown, as well as strawberries, apples and blueberries.    There was a natural hot spring nearby, and after a long day in the fields picking fruit, the bears would enjoy the luxuriousness of the steam with their friends before walking home as the sun set over the mountains.   It was idyllic.

As time moved on, however, the younger bears in the small enclave of homes moved to more urban areas where there were more job opportunities and a faster paced, cosmopolitan life.   Neither Klik nor Klak forgot their roots though.   Klik entered college and received a degree in organic agriculture and managed a large commercial honey bee farm, while Klak studied new farming technologies and sold environmentally friendly harvesting equipment to berry farmers.  Klik and Klak were more acquaintances than friends during their professional careers.   Sometimes their paths crossed and they would occasionally reminisce about life back home, but they never imagined they would form a partnership.

But form a partnership, they did.    It all came about because they both attended the same TED Talk.   While most of the other Teddy bears applied to these seminars just for the yummy food halls, Klik and Klak had a higher calling --  sustainable farming.   They happened to be seated next to each other in the conference hall, and the two bruins renewed their friendship.   Over a glass of tea with honey and a warm blueberry cobbler, Klik and Klak decided they had enough of the stressful city life.   They agreed to pool their resources and start their own farm in the very same small town where they spent their childhood.

Teddy bears have always enjoyed honey and berries.   Now that Klik and Klak have established The Beary Best Bee and Berry Farmstead, they look forward to meeting all sorts of bears from around the world.  They don't plan on retiring any time soon.  They  just look forward to watching the sun set over the mountains again and again.

  

Please meet Callie, an Artist Teddy bear by Sarah Farrell of Teat Time Teddies

Please meet Callie, an Artist Teddy bear created by Sarah Farrell of Tea Time Teddies in Grass Valley, California.  She was crafted in...