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.