Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I think I'm going to stop having birthdays from now on.  Next year I'm going to celebrate the 27th anniversary of my 21st birthday.   :whistle:

(Happy anniversary, SueAnn!  )

I have to agree with that 100%!

Zombies, horror and shock value is for adults.  Not for kids.
Children, especially young children, should not be exposed to horror images before they are old enough and ready to understand.

Here is where I think the line is crossed.  Most people assume that Teddy Bears are for young kids.  Now, somebody is selling a product that SHOULD be for adults and older kids but in a way that younger kids can be exposed before they are ready.

I don't think people should be stopped from doing it but this is like selling cigarettes in a gunpowder factory!

to you too!

"Tortoise Beats Hare"

http://www.kidswb.com/video/Looney-Tune … a0fcf83c7e

This Bear could be a cousin to your Bear.   

Another idea...  Do you have a baby blanket or similar item from when your sister-in-law was young?
If it's still clean and sturdy, have it made into a Bear.  That's becoming a fashion, now.  Making old, sentimental items into Teddy Bears.
Some people even do it with old fur coats.  (Fur Bears aren't baby-safe, though.)

There's nothing wrong with having a Bear as a mascot who sits in the baby's nursery or playroom and watches over his human.  He could sit on the bureau or sit on the shelf and would be quite happy there.

Some Bears are made for hugging and playing.  Some Bears are made to be mascots who sit on the shelf; kings and queens of all they survey. 

Such a wonderful Bear!  He looks like he has done yeoman's service looking after his human for all these years.  It's the greatest badge of honor that any Teddy Bear can hope to receive.

I think it's great that you want to carry on the tradition!  However, I don't know if you'll be able to find one exactly like him.  I'm sure his tags are all worn off by now.  Unless you can find a tag or a remnant of one, I don't know that you will be able to pin down his pedigree, exactly.

The problem is that so many companies spring up to produce Teddy Bears then, after a few years, they either go out of business or change to a different product line.  Even long-standing Teddy Bear companies like Gund change their designs from year to year.  A Bear that Gund made last year will not be produced this year.  That's part of their marketing strategy.  Sometimes, they even produce limited editions of only a few Bears which, after they sell out, will not be made again.

I certainly agree that eBay is the place to look.  If it can be found, eBay or similar sites will have something.

If you can't do that, the next best thing is to have a Bear made to be just like him.  IF that's something you want to do, I think you're in the right place!    We've got lots of Teddy Bear makers right here.  Just get in contact with people and see if you can work something out.  It might not be cheap but I can assure you that the Bearmakers who visit Teddy-Talk are some of the best.  I have bought Bears from Teddy-Talkers and have never been disappointed.  They are all very professional.  Good quality stuff!  (Pun intended!  )

Bears are supposed to be friendly, comforting, fun and creative.  That, in a nutshell, is the Teddy Bear Code.

Not all Bears are full of sweetness and light.  Some Bears can be sad or pensive.  Some can seem to be gruff, mischievous or even a little bit bad-mannered but they are always good at heart.  Bears made to be grisly, morbid and macabre are not part of the Teddy Bear Code.

Bears are made of plush fabric and stuffing; things which are soft and huggable.  These are things people want to hold and touch and play with.  Bones, flesh and blood are not what Teddy Bears are made of.  Those things are grotesque and repulsive.

Bears are supposed to inspire friendship and caring among people and between humans and Bears.  Macabre Bears inspire people to recoil and run away. 

The whole idea of Teddy Bears is is only partly about the things that they are made of.  They are just material just as we are made of flesh.  Physical things don't last forever.  The main idea of Teddy Bears is about SYMBOLISM.  The symbol of a Teddy Bear stands for something that people (should) believe in.  That symbolism should inspire people to be more like the Bear, to be loving and kind and caring toward others.

These "Undead Teds" are the virtual opposite of everything that Teddy Bears are supposed to stand for.  I think they tend to discourage rather than inspire.  That is the reason I find them disturbing.

I love all Bears, even the macabre ones although I find them repulsive.  My main disagreement is not with the Bears, themselves, but with the people who made them.

I feel sorry for somebody who thinks like that and who believes it is a good idea to market such a ghastly product.

I'm not sure if I should be taking him back, watching him feed or tying him down.
I think he lives out by the track.  Right?

Which is it?

Oh, this one is good.  I've got another caption...

"Jazz Hands!"

"One... two... three... eleventeen... seventy-twelve..."

"I love you THIS much!"

I think pandas are "in," right now.  My wife still check in on the "Panda Cam" on the internet almost every day.  (Actually, there are several.)

There's nothing wrong with "riding the wave." 

"Tag!  You're 'it!'"

I think you're right.  I just read the page quickly.

Regardless of the time limits, if the person doesn't pay, report them.  If eBay finds them at fault, they can get a "strike."  If a person gets too many strikes, they get kicked out.  If eBay gives them a strike, you might also get some or all of your listing fees refunded.

First, don't send ANYTHING to them until you have money in your hands.  Once they pay, send it on.

There is a time limit, set by EBay for paying.  Two days.  If you don't get paid, file a claim.

More info can be found here:  http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/unpaid-item.html

Regardless of how you do it, you're still going to need to make a mockup, either from paper or muslin, etc.  The computer idea only gets you to that stage.  You'll still have to make adjustments and changes to your model before you cut and sew plush fabric.  There could be several mockups before you get that far.

I already make 3-D models on the computer.  That part isn't a big deal for me but, if you aren't we'll versed in that kind of computer work, it will be extra work just to learn the program.  (Blender 3-D.). If you are used to doing it the old fashioned way and don't want to take the time to learn Blender, you're probably better off keeping your old way.

I do like the idea of using Adobe illustrator to draw your pattern once you have finalzed the design.  Scaling, printing and annotation are much better that way.  You can still generate a regular file from the original such as a JPEG or a PDF.  I certainly recommend people who have patterns already made to consider doing that or, if you ask the right people (hint) you could have somebody scan your pattern(s) and create Illustrator files from the scan.

If somebody has already developed a good workflow doing things the "regular" way, I am not suggesting they change the way they do things for their own sake.  I'm just making a suggestion for people who want to try different things.

Pepakura could be a good way to design and try out prototypes before committing them to fabric patterns.  I'm glad people like the idea. 

High fur!

I didn't know pandas grew on trees! 

If you look at the third picture, you'll see the red lines where I drew the seams.  I just did them quickly.

Here is a closeup of just the Bear's head.

You can see this is a lot like a giant game of "Connect the Dots."  My Bear has 6,790 dots, to be exact.  (Called "vertices.")
What I need to do is select the correct vertices in order to create the seams in the right places.  Then when the computer flattens out the pieces (called "U-V Mapping") the shapes will be more like what you would expect them to be.

There is a fad from Japan called "Pepakura," where you glue or tape paper patterns together to make 3-D models.  They have computer programs that allow you to design and build your own 3-D models out of paper.  I suppose, if one was interested, he could download the programs and see what he can make.

I wonder if any commercial companies that make plush toys use computer programs to create their designs.  I'm sure they do.  I just wonder exactly how.  It'd be neat if we could design a program or adapt an existing program to make Bear patterns, too. 

Interesting...  Gets me thinking...  I have an idea...  Strictly just for thought, though:

What if I used my computer to make a 3-D model of a Teddy Bear, thus...

Then, instead of simply creating a picture like this...

I went back to my model and marked out where the seams should go, like so...

Until, finally, I could export a layout of the virtual pieces that the computer used to create the model in the first place.

Do you think somebody could use this to make a sewing pattern for a Bear?

Just a thought.

Any animal that's born with a built-in mohawk has GOT to be cool!

Hmmm...  This bamboo smells like...  Umm...  Bamboo!

"He's always talking..."

"If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!"

Cheep skate.