Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I'm 35, male and I still love Teddies of all sorts. I don't go for the very expensive types, just ones that caught my eye, or I found 'abandoned' in the street, I can't pass them by and leave them there. I also make up back stories for all my Teds...for example, in my avatar is one Tom Lion, named Tom because he reminded me of Tom Baker, former Dr Who. Tom is from aristocratic Teddy stock, he was the former 10th Duke of Guildford but abdicated after personal family tragedies and taking on the title at a time in his life when he wasn't ready, so he decided to abdicate and travel, soul searching on his way...he ended up in our world, the Human world which runs parallel to the Teddy World and at a very low point in his life he was spotted by my other well loved friend Poochie (see other topic I made on him) and he invited him into our house when I was a baby and my Mum let him stay...the rest as they say is history...Oh, and his former, proper surname was 'Lyon' but he changed it so no one would realise his more prolific family name, the Lyon's hail all the way back to Roman times, with branches all over the world like the Von Lyons of Germany who are the Rothschild's of the Teddy World or the McLyons Dukedom of Cairngorn, Scotland who run a Naval defence company in Faslane, Scotland with their vast lands on their estate at Cairngorn Castle...His family were awarded their Dukedom and Guildford Palace for his ancestor, General Thomas John Lyon for his masterful leadership and victory at The Battle of Blenheim as well as loyalty to the Crown during the English Civil War...

I also have a very small Nici Crocodile called Colin, who has 'CTS' which is 'Comparative Teddy Smallism'. Its a genetic condition that leads to some Teddies to give birth to miniature sized offspring even when the parents are 'normal' sized. The child grows healthily but grows in miniature to the adult. Teddies such as these need love and affection, especially from a human companion as this somewhat nurtures both their physical as well as emotional well-being...they also have VAST appetites, they can eat meals far greater in size i.e. even human sized portions as they have stomachs that are 'dimensionally transcendental'  i.e. bigger on the inside than out' - Teddy scientists have yet to replicate the process artificially...perhaps they never will.  Teddies with smallism also can have normal sized siblings...

Beat that if you will...I am rather...mad.  and thats just some of my backstories...

Has anyone seen or owned a Teddy like this?

I've posted up a link to my pic via my Flickr account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/talkingcom … 980883829/

My late Father spotted him in a shop window display in a Charity shop in the West Midlands of the UK, Leamington Spa to be exact around 1975 / 76. He told me initially stood outside looking at his characteristic face for quite a while, pondering if he should buy him for my elder Sister, who was 3 or 4 at the time. He then moved on but halfway onward, he turned back and went to buy him for her.

I was born in 1978 and somehow he became my Teddy. I think it may have been me who named him Poochie, yes, Poochie and thats way, way, way before the 1986 weird pink puppy type soft toy Hasbro (I think) made and marketed!

My entire family never saw another like him. Originally, Poochie didn't come clothed as pictured. His eyes which are the lock in stud type for sure, had lost the black irises and it was only in about 1990 or so my Sister and I painted them again, matching the mould indentations on the eye.

The outfit was bought from a UK Teddy Bear specialist and had to be cut at the back of the top and then re-sewn at the back (up the spine so to speak) so it would remain on him, this was to protect his well–loved fur which had a few holes appearing which may have been Moths. I tried the 'put in the ice compartment of the fridge in a plastic bag for 24 / 48 hrs but couldn't bare to leave him in there so took him out after 24 hours!

His toes and torso match the colour of his head / face. His paws and legs match the colour inside his 'antennae' /  ears.

He is professionally / factory made with all seams internal.

From the few holes he had which I've sewn up on his paws I discerned he has factory style foam stuffing.

I once took him to a Teddy Expert in a shop called 'The Bear Garden' in Guildford, UK and while the owner said he'd never seen another like him he did wonder if Poochie was from Japan as he has that sort of 'Pokemon' look to him. Perhaps so, either that or my late Mum said he may be from Eastern Europe even...

Either way, I love him very much, he has a rather interesting backstory I created for him too, mentioned in the Flickr pic...

Let me know if anyone knows 'whom' he is, if you've also owned one or know the maker...I sometimes wish I had another one to keep him company as unlike my other Teddies, he is the only one of his kind...

Cheers.