Please meet Kimberly, an Artist Teddy Bear of Unknown Origin

Please meet Kimberly, an Artist Teddy bear of unknown origin.   There are no tags on her at all, although there is a spot on her chest which I think might have been where her tag was attached.  She's a very high-end bear and is made of very soft brown mohair with white accents to her face.   She has beautiful glass eyes.   Her arms are wired for ease of posing her.   She is very solidly stuffed and stands about 14 inches tall.   She wears a very noisy bell collar.

I bought Kimberly at auction.   I was surprised I won her as she was only $15.   Her description was not well written.   I had the impression the seller found her in storage and didn't know how desirable she was.

Kimberly grew up in the Florida Keys, where her mom and dad owned a small Teddy bear hotel.   It was the go-to destination for a certain class of bruins, catering to a special Teddy bear's every need, from fresh honey on toast to the fluffing of fur with special brushes to gentle sponge baths.  Bears from all over the world flocked to The Bear Maximum.   She met all kinds of Teds, American and German and British and Dutch and Japanese, too many to keep track of.    Kimberly worked as the bellhop and would carry their bags up the stairs, explaining the amenities of the hotel as she escorted guests to their rooms.   If someone had a question about the local sites or where to go for dinner, she had the answers.  

On her days off, Kimberly would march down to the beach with her towel and binoculars and spend the day watching the migrating birds, owls and warblers and the elusive peregrine falcon.  She even spied a red-necked phalarope.  Of course, pelicans were in abundance as well as the pink flamingos.   She became quite expert in identifying the terns and frigatebirds of the Keys.   When Kimberly eventually moved north, she missed the shorebirds of her youth, but she discovered a whole new population of little birds, whose beautiful songs warmed her heart.   Every spring she looks forward to hearing first one peep, then two, and finally the dawn chorus breaking out to fill the air with such lovely sounds.   If you pass her house in the morning today, you may just find her peeking out the window with her binoculars, inspecting the birds on her birdfeeders.

      

Please meet Rolf, an antique 1950s Austrian Teddy bear!

Please meet Rolf, an antique 1950s Austrian Teddy bear!   I think he could be made by Fechter or Baki Teddy Bears.   He doesn't have any of his tags.   He has glass eyes and is a rare blue color, with a little bit of grayish undertones.   He is made of a long mohair, and inside his ears, muzzles and paws is short bristly type mohair.   There was a repair to his back at some point.   He is stuffed with straw.   His growler no longer is functional.   He has an open mouth and a red tongue.   His feet are flat, and the unusual thing about him is that his arms and legs are wired, although his head is jointed.   He's rather tall at 16 inches and a little hefty, too, weighing almost 1.5 pounds.   He is in excellent condition.  

I bought Rolf at an auction.   He's not the prettiest bear, and his fur was rather tangled, so nobody else bid on him.   I took him home and gently brushed him, and now he has a very sweet face.

Rolf grew up in the Tyrolean area of Austria, not far from the City of Innsbruck.    He lived at the base of a mountain.   The Alps were almost part of his garden.   He loved it there and was always out and about.   He enjoyed skiing, but his favorite thing to do was hike.   His blue coat made him very recognizable in the village, and in the early morning, the other bears would see him with his little trekking poles heading up the nearest trail.   He worked as a guide for the summer tourists, taking fellow travelers on day-long excursions, and occasionally spending the night at a youth hostel.  He was much in demand.  Other bears loved his positive energy, and the way he would gently encourage you not to go too fast or too slow.

The highlight of Rolf's travels was when he walked the Haute Route between France and Switzerland.  It took him nearly eighteen days to complete it, which was a very good time for a Teddy bear.   He stayed in mountain huts and small inns along the way and met many other walkers, which turned into long-lasting friendships.   He'll never forget his first glimpse of the Matterhorn.   From a distance, the mountain looked very much like the color of his blue fur, and with his little arms outstretched, he experienced the warm feelings of being one with nature.  

Rolf no longer lives in the Alps, but in his dreams, he visits there every day.    I can't wait to take him back to Austria.  I know he'll be the perfect companion.

Please meet Taffy, a OOAK Artist Teddy bear by Robsbears

Please meet Taffy, a OOAK Artist Teddy bear by Robsbears!   She was made in England by the very talented Rob Humphreys.  Taffy stands 15 inches tall and is very light.   She has glass eyes and her fur is very soft.   She has pellets inside for good weighting.   She has all of her original tags.

I bought Taffy online from a seller in California, who apparently bought her directly from Robsbears a few months before.   She was a good deal, and I was very happy to buy her for my hug.   I loved her very orange color and her cute little nose.

Taffy was born in the south of England and lived near the ocean for most of her life.    She was always a serious Teddy bear and studied very diligently at school.   When other young bears were going to the beach to enjoy the sunshine or spending their pennies at the local leisure centre, she was pouring over her lessons and working out recipes in the kitchen.   Her parents were very concerned about her and tried to encourage her to go out more with her cub friends, but Taffy was on a mission.   She knew exactly what wanted, and that was to be a successful business bear, and to do that she had to learn how to run a business.

Taffy's first experience was running a lemonade stand, but she discovered it was only busy on the warmest of days.    Then she tried making jars of honey, but she didn't really like working with bees.   She drove a little ice cream truck for a little while, but she ended up eating more ice cream cornets than she sold.  Pizza wasn't exactly the most popular food.   She didn't have a clue how to make a pastie.   She tried her hand at baking, but all the flour flying around in the kitchen made her family look like polar bears.   She was close to giving up her dreams.  

    One summer day, Taffy found her passion.    She was sitting on a park bench and opened her little bagged lunch.   Inside her mother had packed an egg and cress sandwich and a milk chocolate bar.   The candy was very soft in its wrapper, but not quite melted, and Taffy was able to squeeze it in her hands.   Chocolate bars were yummy, she thought.  Chocolate bars, chocolate bars...chocolate bears!  That was it!  She rushed home and started investigating what she would need to make milk chocolate bears!   A week later, her friends and family were tasting her new confections and providing feedback.  The rest is history.    Her Milkobears have been sold to customers around the world, and thanks to her mom, she has her own successful business.

     

Please meet Moriarty, a Mystery Artist Teddy Bear

Please meet Moriarty,  a mystery artist Teddy bear!   He is made of a nice brown plush material and stands twelve inches high.   He wears a nice bright blue ribbon, and he is five-way jointed.   I think he was probably made in the 1990's. 

Moriarty was a gift from a friend who knew I collected Teddy bears.   She bought him at a market, and graciously thought of me.    He has a Steiff tag in his ear, and so she logically thought he was a Steiff, but he is not.  He is of good quality though, and  I appreciated her thoughtfulness.   Anyone could be fooled.  

Moriarty was born in South London, but his family moved to Hay-On-Wye, a small market town in Wales, when he was just a young cub.   His parents operated a bookstore there, one of many in the town.   The shop specialized in children's literature, so Moriarty met lots of young lads and lassies while restocking new inventory.   Once a week, there was storyteller hour, and he would join the group, and sometimes fall fast asleep in a child's arms.      

On the weekends, Moriarty would visit other bookstores in town, blending in with the tourists who were bused in.   He was always nattily dressed with his bright blue ribbon around his neck.   His favorite bookstore was Murder and Mayhem on Lion Street.   He would climb up the bookcases to reach the highest shelves and would lose his sense of time.   One day while browsing the different titles, he thought he was being watched, but then quickly shook off the feeling.   He supposed he read too many mystery novels.   Later he fell asleep, as was his habit, on a nice comfy chair  near the rear of the store.  When he woke up, he felt a throbbing on the left side of his head.   Someone had put a Steiff button and tag in his ear!  He tried to remove it, shaking his head and pulling with all his might, but it just would not come off.    In the following weeks, he consulted with experts in bear repair, but no one wanted to take the risk of doing such delicate surgery.  He still doesn't know who put the flag in his ear, or why they did such a thing, but he is finally at peace with its presence.    It is just another one of those mysteries.

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Please meet Fruitcake, an Artist Teddy bear from England

Please meet Fruitcake, an Artist Teddy bear from England.   She is very, very soft, and her fur is a brown-tipped cream color.   She has stunning eyes and a cute stitched nose.   She is softly stuffed, so she is very light and weighs under one pound.   She is a bit floppy, but if she stands at her tallest she is 15 inches.   She also wears a felt orange collar.   I don't know who created her, but she is a well-made ted.

I bought Fruitcake from a woman in the UK at an excellent price.   The way her eyes are made with the white felt gives her a very piercing look.   That in combination with her fluffy fur coat sealed the deal for me, and I had to have her.

Fruitcake grew up in a village in the Pennines in the north of England.   Her father was a baker, hence her name.  She helped out at the Figgy Pudding Bakery when she was just a young teddy bear,  carefully placing the pastries in the display and later working the cash register and taking orders for wedding cakes over the phone.   She made her first blueberry pie at the age of ten, offering free samples to the customers. After her parents retired, she and her sisters,  Custard and Scone, took over the baking duties, while her brother, Bakewell, managed the financials for the business.

The Figgy Pudding became so successful under the young bears' management, in ten years there were fifteen such bakeries in Yorkshire alone, and the National Trust was featuring the bears' desserts in their cafes.  Fruitcake opened a school for young bear bakers, and her name became synonymous with traditional English baking.   Custard and Scone published a book of recipes, while Fruitcake styled all the photographs.   Bakewell, always the entrepreneur, developed a line of Figgy Pudding bakeware, which was a big hit on the television shopping channels as well as in their online store.  

Fruitcake still lives in the same village in the Pennines of her childhood.   Now that she's so successful, her envious Teddy bear neighbors suppose she's just lazing around posing in front of her French mirrors all day, but she spends most of her time in the kitchen surrounded by butter, flour, and eggs, creating sweets for her next bakery coming soon to your High Street.

Please meet Hans, Hermann Teddy's Old German Teddy Bear!

Please meet Hans, Hermann Teddy's Old German Teddy Bear!   He is a replica of a 1929 model, so has a nice antique look.   He is a limited edition, too, and he is number 1005.   He doesn't like all these numbers, by the way.   He just refers to himself as "Hans."  He is made of brown tipped mohair, and he has a working growler.   He has all his tags, too.   He's a big size, 16 inches tall.   He wears a nice green silk ribbon, his favorite color.   He does have minor wear on the back of his legs, but he's in overall great condition.  

I bought this bear for under a dollar in 2013.   The person who put him up for sale didn't know anything about Teddy bears apparently.   I actually have a second bear of this exact model, so I knew who he was right away.

Hans was born in Coburg in the Bavarian region of Germany.   He was always a very active bear.  He loved fishing in the nearby Itz River in the springtime.   In the summer you might find him at the local castle, Veste Coburg,  working as a tour guide, and in the autumn, he spent time making his own mustard to sell at the local Oktoberfest.   In the winter, he would travel to Austria to do a little skiing in the Alps.  He was a well-traveled bear.  

Hans' Friday evening dinner parties were legendary.   He would invite his Teddy friends over for Black Forest Cake covered in honey.   Afterwards, he might suggest a game of poker or perhaps pinochle if everyone was prepared to stay late.  Sometimes on cool nights, they would light a bonfire in the courtyard to warm their muzzles and paws and maybe do a little dancing in the firelight.   One Friday night, I once asked him how he lost the fur on the back of his legs, but he blushed and changed the subject.   It was rumored he turned his backside to the flames and was singed by the heat while doing the bunny hop.  We'll never know for sure because he's just not saying.   He'd rather play pinochle.

   

Please meet Fredrik, a brown mohair 1950s Schuco Teddy Bear

Please meet Fredrik, a brown mohair 1950s Schuco Teddy Bear.   He's a tiny mite, only 3.5 inches tall and doesn't even weigh an ounce.    He is in excellent condition, but does have a little wear by his left shoulder and his leg, consistent with age.    He even wears his original green ribbon!

I remember the day I bought Fredrik.   I was working in Burlington County, and he was coming up in an online auction.   I really wanted him, but I was going to be in the middle of a teleconference and couldn't be distracted, so I put in a somewhat high bid in advance, hoping and praying I'd win him.    After the meeting, I checked my phone and was shocked to find no one else had bid, and he was mine.   I was thrilled to adopt him!

Fredrik was born in Germany, but soon moved to Japan working as a consultant for a mechanical toy company.  He lived in a very small apartment above retail space in the middle of Tokyo.   Over the years, many different types of businesses occupied the first floor, including a record store, a restaurant,  a hair salon, an art gallery and a tailor shop, just to name a few.  Most recently, the barbershop had shut its doors, due to Mr. Yakamoto's poor health. 

One afternoon, returning home from his job, he did a double take.   Much to his surprise, hanging in the storefront windows were little paper creatures created in the most beautiful colors.   Pressing his nose against the pane, he saw cranes, cats, bats, rabbits, butterflies, frogs,  flowers, goldfish, dolphins and even an elephant.   He had just discovered the art of origami.  He was awestruck.   He entered the store, and that very afternoon with instruction from his new neighbor, Miss Ito, made his first paper folds and crafted a little golden crown.   He excelled at his new hobby.   When he moved in with me, his first request was a box of 6 inch by 6 inch colored paper, from which he made me a lovely bouquet of paper flowers.   I still have them on my dresser, next to a little golden crown.

 

Please meet Nosy, Steiff's Gentle Rhinoceros and Teddy Bear friend!

Please meet Nosy, Steiff's gentle Rhinoceros and Teddy bear friend!   He was made in the 1960s.  He's missing his chest tag, but he has his button and yellow ear flag.   He is in excellent condition.  He's only 3 inches tall, so he isn't much of a threat, and he only weighs 2 ounces.  He is small enough to fit into any bear hug.

I bought Nosy with several  other small Steiff toys in 2010.   He was quite a bargain, and I liked his pleasant smiling face and cute little braided tail.  I loved the yellowish green shading around his eyes and on his feet, which I thought gave him character.  

Nosy grew up in West Germany on the outskirts of Stuttgart.    He lived with many other Steiff toys, enough to form a little wild animal park.   He was the very last toy to join the group.   The late 1960s was a turbulent time in the world, and even his little colony of animals was affected.   The elephants were stampeding a little too often and were making the others nervous.   The lions were roaring far too loudly, and the tigers were crouching down whenever someone passed too close!  The monkeys were constantly chattering in the night, and the zebras' hooves made such a thundering sound that everyone was sleep deprived.   There was friction between the different groups, and before you knew it, misunderstandings were a regular occurrence.   Something had to be done. 

Nosy considered the problem for a time and finally decided to gather everyone together.   He posted hand-painted signs inviting all the residents to come to the tent on the last Friday of October.   The animals were so intrigued by this little newcomer with the big horn, they waited patiently at the canvas doors.   Even the monkeys were on their best behavior.   Nosy let them in one at a time, and they slowly spread out, filling the tent to capacity.   There on the wooden stage Nosy had set up a huge screen.   He shuffled to the back of the crowd and turned on a projector.   He showed nature films all night long, about elephants, lions, tigers, bears, monkeys, zebras, leopards, cheetahs, hippos, meerkats, crocodiles, giraffes, gazelles, kudu, okapi and even gnus. 

After that night, the animals understood one another much better.   Sure, there were mild disagreements once in a while, but come every Friday night, they were reminded just who they were and who everyone else was, too.   Today, Nosy's favorite thing to do is watch nature films on demand, as just a little reminder of who he is and who everyone else is, too

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Please Meet Barley, Steiff's PB Baerle Teddy Bear!

Please meet Barley, Steiff's PB Baerle Teddy Bear.   He's very proud of himself, as he is a replica of a 1904 Teddy bear.   He was made only for one year, in 1991.   His nose is wax, and he has a very large hump on his back.   He doesn't have a box or certificate, but he doesn't really need one.   What you see is what you get, he told me.

I purchased Barley on eBay in 2010.   The pictures that the seller took of him were pretty awful.   I haven't told Barley that.   He was lying down on a pillow and his head was twisted in a weird way.   That was the only picture.   I knew who he was, of course.   He's very recognizable. 

Barley has extra long arms, which is a family trait.   When he would look at old photographs, he could always recognize his relatives.   Such long arms came in handy when he was grocery shopping.  It was so easy to reach the top shelves.   More that once a fellow ted would approach him, shyly requesting his assistance.   He gained a lot of friends that way.   When it came time to pick a career, he considered a job stocking inventory at a grocery store or maybe taking a job as a waiter at a busy restaurant.    He thought about trying out for the local basketball team, too, but his athletic skills were minimal.  Teddy bears have limited choices when it comes to employment.

Then one day, Barley was thumbing through the newspaper, when he noticed an ad for free massages at a spa for the first one hundred callers.   He booked an appointment right away.   You could imagine the masseuse's surprise when his 9:15 client was a Teddy bear.  Barley spent the day trying all the different therapies offered,  relaxation massage, trigger point massage, and body wraps.   He was such a hit with the staff, they invited him to come back the next day for another treatment, and so he returned for another day of adventure.   He was at the facilities daily.   He discovered he has fantastic people skills and was encouraged to become a licensed massage therapist, a first for a Teddy bear.   He graduated the top of his class.   If you happen to see him, make sure you ask about his new career.   Maybe he'll even give you a free massage.

Please meet Spicy, Feisty and Dicey, a trio of Merrythought Bears!

Please meet Spicy, Feisty and Dicey, a trio of Merrythought bears.   They are special editions and are in their original red presentation box.    They stand five inches tall, which is the smallest bear size made by Merrythought.   They were specially made for a teddy bear store in Middlesex, New Jersey, and there were only 200 sets made.   The box has a postcard from the store and a certificate signed by Oliver Holmes.    They are cinnamon, spicy brown and a gray color.   A very rare set indeed.

I bought these bears at an auction, and they were somewhat interesting to me because I was unaware of such a bear shop in New Jersey, and I thought it was unusual to have a postcard included.   The bears say they've never been out of their box, but I find that hard to believe.

Cinnamon, Feisty, and Dicey lived for a long time in Indonesia on the Malaku Islands, an archipelago in the Banda Sea.   That's where nutmeg, mace and cloves were grown.   They loved the smells that would come inland on the breezes from the ocean.    It would make them so happy, they would lift their little paws up in the air and dance and dance.   Cinnamon preferred ballet dancing, whereas Feisty liked to perform more modern contemporary dances.   Dicey, well, he just would shake his little bear body in a sort of jig-like, Morris dance.  He wasn't quite sure what style it was called.   Sometimes he would even put bells on his little legs!  

They barely remembered their time in England.   When they were told to return to Shropshire, they didn't know what to expect.   Cinnamon was sure the food would be terribly bland.  Feisty thought he'd never be able to drive through a roundabout.   Dicey, well, he didn't really know anything about sheep or hedgerows or footpaths or high tea.   But as fate would have it, they didn't stay in the UK long enough to find out whether they would like England or not.   They were packed up in their little red box and sent on a plane to Newark Airport!   What luck!   Imagine my surprise when I found them going round and round on the luggage carousel.   Right in the middle of the busy airport,  they climbed out and began to dance and dance and dance.

 

Please meet Tru, a large Boyd's Teddy bear

Please meet Tru, a large Boyd's Teddy Bear.   Actually, his official name is Truman S. Bearington, but his friends just call him Tru.   He doesn't think the "S" stands for anything, just an initial to make him sound more important.   He's a big guy, measuring 18 inches tall.   His mohair is very wavy.   He wears a white collar and blue silk tie, and he weighs just over two pounds, which is very impressive.

I bought him in July 2009.   I was working in Newton, New Jersey.   It was a very hot day that Friday, and there happened to be a street fair downtown with lots of things for sale.   The table he sat on was in front of the fire department.   I thought he was especially well-mannered, so I adopted him.   He sat in the front seat of my car, very excited to finally be going home with someone who'd appreciate him.   He'd been told he was "old new stock," and he didn't care for that description.

Tru spent a lot of time in the back room of a small toy store, where he observed the comings and goings of the shopkeeper.   Over time he learned how to read invoices, order forms, bank statements, and receipts.   At night, he'd tally up the numbers, doublechecking all petty cash was accounted for,  the accounts payables and receivables were entered correctly, and the deliveries and shipments were on time.  If he saw an error, he'd leave perhaps a small crayon mark or a Post-It note to attract attention.   Then with the advent of computer programs tracking inventory, he had less to do.   His paws were not conducive to typing.    After about ten years, the rent on the shop had increased threefold, and try as she might, the shopkeeper just couldn't make ends meet.  That's how he ended up on the table that I found him on.  

Tru has made a lot of friends in the hug and is always eager to meet a new resident.    He's always interested in seeing any paperwork they might come with and keeps track of every bear's history on a simple yellow legal pad.   He's able to tell me who resides where and any background information he might have, what their valuation is and who needs a repair to an ear (or two).    I couldn't do without Truman and his math skills.   He doesn't even need a calculator to balance my checkbook.  

Please meet Mochachino, a vintage mink Teddy bear!

Please meet Mochachino, a vintage mink Teddy bear, made by an unknown artist in I believe the 1980's or 1990's.   He  has no tags at all.   He is 15 inches tall, and although he's a little chunky, he weighs under a pound.  His fur is very soft and silky, and he wears a beautiful silk cocoa colored ribbon around his neck.  

I bought Mochachino in a lot with other bears.  I don't normally go for Teddy bears made out of animal fur, but he was an exception because of his beautiful brown eyes.  Plus, he is extremely well made.   

Mochachino grew up in Brazil, near the center of the capital, Brasila.   At one time he worked for a coffee plantation, trading beans on the open market.   He traveled the world in his day and is fluent in English and French, and knows a little German as well.   One whiff of a roasting brew, and he could tell whether it's Arabica or Robusto.   After his retirement, he was a fixture in the city.   He regularly sat outside his favorite coffee joint, engaging in small talk with both the locals and the tourists.   He knows quite a bit about the coffee business and would give passersby recommendations on which blend to choose based on their individual preferences. 

When he came to live with me, he told me breakfast was his favorite meal of the day.  Not surprisingly, he likes to mix a little sweetened ground chocolate in his coffee.   Sometimes he even puts coffee in his cereal!    Most mornings when I head downstairs to the kitchen, I find him sitting at the table already on his second cup, with the coffee pot gently percolating on the counter, and I just love that heady aroma.   He's tried to convince me to try his concoctions, but I think I'll just stick with my cup of tea.