Plase meet Mr. and Mrs. Scamp Berry and Muffled from Bebe's Bears!

Please meet Mr. and Mrs. Scamp Berry and Muffled, three Artist Teddy bears from Beverly Maddaford of Bebe's Bears!   They are all made of mohair, and they all have individually designed hats, each with a little bell inside.   Mr. and Mrs. Berry are seven inches tall, and their bear cub, Muffled, is slight shorter.   I believe they were produced in the late 1980s or early 1990s.   I bought them as a lot with a fourth Bebe's bear, but he has his own story to tell.

Mr. and Mrs. Berry met at a swap meet nearly 20 years ago, when Teddy bear swap meets were more popular.   Scamp would load up his old vinyl record albums in his van and Scally would bring boxes of all sorts of bric-a-brac she bought at tag sales.   Their tables were across the aisle from each other, and after a shy wave or two, it wasn't too long before they were chatting, sharing boxed lunches, going on dinner dates and moving in together.  They had a lot of things in common, vintage clothing, antique furniture, Frank Sinatra, and old movies, just to name a few.   They combined their tables, and after a time, they combined their lives when they married.  Scamp and Scally Berry invested their savings into property to start their own swap meet, The Bear Market.  When Muffled came along, right from the beginning he was involved in the family business, eventually taking over the digital advertising and making sure they had a presence on social media platforms.

Scamp, Scally and Muffled were really into holidays.   Their bear den was always the talk of the town.  On Valentine's Day, red hearts were strung across the porch.   At Easter time, there were bunnies and sheep on the lawn.  On Memorial Day and 4th of July, there was plenty of bunting and flags flying.  Pumpkins and fresh mums decorated their front steps in the fall, and a month before Christmas, their door was covered in fresh greens, and twinkling lights were hanging from the eaves.

Christmas was by far their favorite time of the year.   It was a celebration with family, friends old and new, and a time to reflect on all the blessings they had received throughout the year, and an opportunity to give back to their Teddy bear hug.   The Berry holiday parties were legendary.   Dessert was served first, as is the habit of most Teddy bears.  It was a night of raiding the refrigerator without any consequences, even if their tummies were very, very stuffed the next day.   Every Teddy was encouraged to dress up, and Teddies came as Mary and Joseph, shepherds and sheep, the three Wise Bears,  angels, as well as Santa and his elves, and even a Grinch or two, and as the night wore on, they would hold hands and sing their favorite carols long into the night around the Christmas tree.  No one forgot the generosity Scamp and Scally freely showed to their neighbors and friends.

When I asked them to pose for a photograph for this blog post, they showed up in their Christmas finery, insisting that Christmas is not just a day in December, it is a way of life.  Amen to that.