Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Interesting, thanks all!

Becky, dust-free was definitely an important decision since teddy bears can get dusty, as well you know.    It's unfortunate that height per-shelf isn't an option, but I see what you mean:  Esmé has done a very good job at grouping the teddies; keen to get Scrappy at the front. 

Oscar resides in the lounge on top of his milking stool; I suspect we'll get a few more bears there in time, but he rather suits the milking stool, and for that, we're both happy. 

-- Thomas Adam

Hello all,

My girlfriend and I have recently moved house, and as such we've had to rethink how to display the teddy  bears.  Before the house move, I had rather shamefully had a few shelves in the bedroom and crammed as many bears as I dare onto them, whilst trying to keep the walls from collapsing under the weight.  :)

We were lucky enough to spot in BHF (British Heart Foundation) in Southampton, an ex-shop display cabinet made of solid glass.  Knowing how much they would have cost even vaguely new (a good £600), I snapped this up.

Now this sits proudly in our hallway.  Esmé has done a good job at arranging the bears, I feel, and although it's a rather novel take on displaying bears, they all fit (just) -- and this has now meant they can be grouped into a nicer hug, rather than sitting linearly on a shelf.  The only problem is we possibly won't be expanding the hug any time soon without first working out where (if at all; space is at a premium!) we could put another teddy bear.

I know some people have a dedicated room(s), alas, we don't have that luxury.

-- Thomas Adam

Hi all,

I know that Becky has already showcased this teddy bear, but I wanted to formally show him in his new home (we're not sure if he's in situ yet).  My girlfriend decided as soon as she opened the box (and before taking him out of his plastic/protective wrapping) to call him 'Oscar' since he "looks like an Oscar", and I think the name does suit him.  Usually I like to defer the naming of teddy to Becky, but on this occasion the decision was left to me.

As with all of the bears (commissioned or otherwise) I've adopted from Becky, she's always gone above and beyond just sending a teddy bear.  Whether that's via additional thought to extras (like bow-ties or cardigans, etc), or to reasons for choosing a certain type of mohair, there's always been a rationale behind it, and it's fascinating as a collector to understand the thought behind it.  As was the case with Oscar, Becky really did her research, and has documented all of the decisions taken which lead to how Oscar looks the way he does.  That's amazing from my point of view, and all of this information goes inside a folder I have.  I keep it, so as to remind me in the future about how much effort has gone into the bears.

The picture of Oscar do not do him justice.  In the fur, he's even better.  Like the original mourning bear, he carries himself with slight melancholy, and to that end, there's been a great deal of effort put into the ageing of his paw pads (via natural dyes), as well as slightly around his nose.  It's those little details which fascinate me, and make a commissioned teddy bear even more enjoyable to see.  Not to mention, it took Becky and I a good few weeks to decide on the type of fur to use.  That was a lot of fun!

So we're very proud owners.  He's currently sitting on our milking stool in the lounge, facing the sofa.  Becky, thank you so very much indeed for this bear.  I know how much effort you've gone to making him, and it shows.  This is something you really care about deeply, and considering this is something you do in your spare time, the amount of effort to detail often outweighs the duty in some cases, so thank you once again!

Should anyone here be in some doubt---or does not know what to expect from commissioning a teddy bear, I'd recommend Becky a thousand times over.  The rapport and understanding from what's wanted is almost ESP-like, and the end result is always over and above what you might expect.

Kindly,
Thomas Adam

Becky,

You've done a magnificent job with him; I'm so proud!  You've done more to capture the sadness than I thought possible---the look in his eyes says that, it's really rather wonderful.  I like the way he sits, and his little bow, it's just right.  I'm really impressed with his nose of all things, I love the colour of it.  His paw pads are brilliant, and are just like the original mourning bear.

I'm so very very impressed with him, and cannot wait to adopt him!  Thank you, Becky, for producing yet another wonderful teddy bear for me.  I hope you're as pleased with him as I am.  :)

One very happy collector indeed,
Thomas Adam

That's really clever!

So is the glass she sits in included?  Forgive me, she wouldn't fit in to my hug, I'm just curious about the concept of her.  So her stance and the glass she's in are a single entity?

That's amazing.  I think this is the first time I've seen a creation like this.  You should be proud, Katie!  Very well done indeed!  :)

Thomas

Hi all,

I've got a few teddy bears in my hug who've always been floppy by design---I'm not sure why this is, perhaps the way they've been made, etc.  Notably I'm referring to my Mothers's protoype teddy as well as a few inherited bears.  They just don't sit upright and fall over, and feel rather loose.  I've noticed they've gotten worse in some respects where they're on my shelf, and might not get moved unless I'm cuddling/cleaning them.

So is there anything I can do for these poor floppy bears?  Most of them are stuffed with kapoc, I think, certainly nothing more exotic than that.

TIA!

-- Thomas Adam

Hehe, I like his expression, although from this angle he looks a little angry?

-- Thomas Adam

If you ask me, he looks a lot like some of the many Chiltern Hugmee teddy bears.  But I wonder if he's too small?

-- Thomas Adam

That's OK, Dawn.  It was heaving in there -- busiest I've seen it in a long while.    Sarah and I wandered round rather quickly, as we were swept along by the enthusiasts. 

We'll catch up again soon. 

Thomas

Hello all,

I had an amazing time at Hugglets again this year -- really impressed with the turn out as well as all the wonderful teddy bears.  :)

I bought a nice Chiltern Hugmee -- and here he is:

:)

-- Thomas Adam

I'm very happy to know that dear Finn is making his way to me as I type this.  :)

He'll be loved, alongside Claude, and Leo and Buddy and Lawrence.  :)

Thanks, Becky.  :)

Thomas

See:  http://www.teddy-talk.com/viewtopic.php?id=31335

-- Thomas Adam

Yay!  And indeed, he and Leo are always sat next to each other.  :)

-- Thomas Adam

Mine hasn't changed from:

http://xteddy.org/teddies.html
http://xteddy.org/~n6tadam/pics/teddies/reduced/

-- Thomas Adam

Yes, I originally posted those links.

-- Thomas Adam

That's really interesting, Edie.  I've not heard of these bears before -- what can you tell us about them?

-- Thomas Adam

He's a cutie!  Aww.  I hope you'll cuddle him for me.  :)

He's not a Chad Valley teddy bear, now that I can see all of him, although he does have a lot of characteristics of one, except for the following:

* Most, if not all, Chad Valley teddies had amber and black eyes.
* No Chad Valley had a tail
* Chad Valley teddies used rexine on hands/feet

Not to mention I can see no markings for the label of a Chad Valley on his feet.  Apart from that, his shape, the way he sits, the length of his arms and legs... all point to being a Chad Valley.  Hmm.

Can you take more detailed photos of his face and arms and legs for me?

-- Thomas Adam

He looks a little bit like a Chad Valley teddy bear.  But as Becky says, we need to see a front photo of him.    He looks sweet though.

Oh, and all the teddy bears I own are male, for some reason. 

-- Thomas Adam

Yes -- is there any other type?  :)

-- Thomas Adam

Depends on the bear I suppose.  I have often fallen asleep with Lawrence:

:)

-- Thomas Adam

In all of my writings about teddy bears, I have always made one point explicitly clear -- that for me personally collecting teddy bears is not for monetary value.  For some people that is, and if they've the money to do that; to have the most expensive, most sought-after teddy bear, or any other collectors' item, so be it.  That's their choice, and likely they'll be unhappy with the end result.

But for me, my passion tends to command more money overall for a teddy bear because I like traditional teddy bears.  So in my hug, I do have quite a few expensive teddy bears -- or rather, some people would think so.  I own a few Steiff teddy bears, I own a Chiltern Hugmee, etc., but I bought them because I liked the style of bear.  That's the really important point about this -- collectors collect on appeal and with reason, not for price.  If you happen to list two different teddy bears at polar-opposites in terms of price, to the educated eye who is looking for a bear, the price comparison is likely secondary to appreciating the bear.

Make sense?

-- Thomas Adam

I refuse to register just to view that image.

Try putting it on something like picpaste.com (and set the storetime to "unlimited!").

Alternatively if that's no good, email me the photos and I'll host them for you.

-- Thomas Adam

Could it be a Russ Berrie?  They were always popular in England, and they did produce more than just teddies.

-- Thomas Adam

Yayyyyy!    That's great news, Becky. 

-- Thomas Adam

I don't own a television.   So if it's available after the fact, I'll be interested.

-- Thomas Adam