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Posts: 97Hello everyone 
Im a male teddybear lover. God knows ive been ridiculed for it by many people in my life but I dont care. Teddybears are very very special to me
I'm almost 50 and live In the southeast of Holland. My love for teddybears started about five years ago. I was going through a very difficult time in my life at the time. I had a pretty negative idea about myself too...then, i met a friend, a sweet woman who became my best friend ever...during this time I also got my first little teddybear.... Ever since then, teddybears became something very special to me. And I started collecting slowly. I only have a small collection yet, but wanna collect lots and lots more. Teddybears came in my life when i was desperately looking for some hope and strength and the friendship i found and the teddy that came with it at the same time made an unbreakable connection between the two for me
Teddybears for me are symbols of hope, friendship, love, comradery and much more
Im also a creative person, make music and computer graphics and art and I would love to learn to make my own teddybears !! Also would love to learn to make them in cross stitch and such
Teddybears have become something very special and comforting to me and whenever I have a difficult time now, i just often have to look at the teddies i have to feel comforted and hopeful again
I had a short look around and the atmosphere here seems to be really good and friendly and I really like that. Ive been in too many places online which just seem to be full of negativism and nonsense like that. I hope to find good new contacts here and friendships and hope to share lots and lots with people over time
welcome Teddybear 
All Bearsfriends say welcome and I think you will feel well with us.
Hugs
Betty
Welcome Teddybear, thank goodness you found teddies at a time you needed them. I am very glad that they are able to help you and give you comfort. I can relate to that too.
I think you will like it here with us, it is a friendly forum.
Hugs
Jenny
Posts: 97Awww, Betty and Jenny, thank you very much for the friendly welcomes I just returned from a walk. Really nice to find some responses already. I am going to look around at everything here the coming days. But yes, this place seems very welcoming and friendly indeed
Hugs back,
John
Teddybears for me are symbols of hope, friendship, love, comradery and much more
This is so well said
Welcome to Teddy Talk! I'm glad you found a good friend when you needed one - and teddy bears, too.
Feel free to post your photos and questions here when you start making your own bears!
Becky
Past Time BearsHello, John, and welcome to Teddy Talk! I fully empathize with your introduction to bears because it is so similar to how I discovered the comfort and understanding qualities of teddies. That was in 1996 and I've been addicted since. We have members who are artists, collectors, show promoters, fur dealers, and others associated with the bear business. Think you'll get a good idea that teddies are a huge part of our lives and we welcome anyone else who also loves them.
nice to meet you, your avatar teddy is adorable!!
Posts: 97Becky, SueAnn and clwilmot, thank you all very much for the friendly responses and welcomes
Becky, Oh when I will start making them I will probably ask lots of questions, cos I really have to start from the beginning, Ive never made teddybears before...but I can't wait to give it a try and want to start as soon as possible
SueAnn, yes, I am amazed at how many people there are here who love teddies as well and im very pleasantly surprised by the friendly and helpful atmosphere here. It's a pleasure to look around and read all the posts I had no idea that there were so many people who love teddies...but it's wonderful. I recognise that addictive feeling...as time is passing by I get addicted to teddies more and more all the time as well. I cant believe how many of you actually make teddies yourselves ! And so many absolutely adorable ones !
clwilmot, thanks for the compliment on my avatar, it's nice to meet you too
Posts: 17Hello and welcome
Welcome to Teddy Talk Teddybear, I'm sure you will enjoy being here. It is a very friendly forum, and also very interesting if you mean to start making your own teddies! Good luck with that, it is the ultimate addiction!!!!
Boechout, AntwerpHi John,
A very warm welcome to TT! :rose:
Your story sounds very familiar to me: "male teddy bear lover... 50 years ... difficult time ..."
I recognize several things in my own story and how I got involved with teddy bears.
Maybe some people will ridicule you for your passion, but I find that once I have explained it, people are genuinely interested in my "weird" hobby.
The most important thing is that you feel happy yourself with what you are doing.
Like you I didn't any idea that there is a whole world of teddy bear lovers out there and it's a wonderful world, with little negativism and with lots of kind and gentle people and of course with lots of gorgeous bears to discover. So enjoy it! 
Posts: 97MyteddiesNI, thanks for the welcome and nice to meet you
Francesca, thanks for the nice welcome Yes, im getting more and more impressed with how friendly the atmosphere here actually is and it's a pleasure to spend time here. I am sure I will get totally addicted once I start making teddies myself
Peter, thank you very much for the warm welcome It's a pleasure to read such a welcome from another male teddybear lover !
You bet I feel happy with my "weird" teddybear hobby ! It's good to know there are some more males who also love teddies
And yes, the more messages I read here the more im impressed with the kind and welcoming, warm atmosphere ! It's absolutely wonderful
TC Folk OriginalsHi John, and welcome to the teddy bear world. I don't think anyone could have said it better when explaining the love of Teddies than you! I'm sure you will find that teddies and the people who love them see no gender, age or ability; everyone is welcome! Hope to see the pics of your hug and as you progress through the bear making process!
Hugs, tc
Posts: 97Awww Tc, thank you very much for the nice warm welcome This place is awesome. I have been in many places online through the years but have seldomly found a place that was so friendly and welcoming. Yes, the more I read, the more I notice exactly the things you're saying. I must honestly admit I was a bit worried at first when I wrote im male cos ive ran into some pretty negative reactions about that through the years...but then again I never looked for a teddybear place before and I probably should have done that years ago ! Seems that teddybear people are often teddybears themselves in their character and hearts
And you make such beautiful teddies like so many here. I cant wait to get into that myself, even though I have to start completely from the beginning...but im looking forward to it and very much
Hugs back and thanks again
Posts: 97Awwww Pink what a wonderful welcome message ! thank you very much for that . I believe immediatly that you found some dear friends since you started making your own teddybears ! And you bet Teddies are dear and true friends ! They have helped me through some of the hardest periods in life and gave me back hope again ! Thank you for your offer of help when i start making my own teddies. Im sure i will need some help with that in the beginning. Oh it would be wonderful if we could meet somewhere at some point and have some teddy talk Good to meet you too here Pink
John
Northern Ireland A very warm welcome to this great friendly forum and to the world of Teddybears.
I started Teddybear making as a hobby when I retired and found great help and encouragement here.Lots of generous advice and tips to get you started and no question was ever treated as stupid or clueless 
.
I still find the expert knowledge available here invaluable to help me improve my skills.
Don't forget to show off your creation,we love to see everyone's work 
and you can bet your first won't be your last.
Posts: 97Hi there Renee and thank you very much for your nice warm welcome I'm really still a bit surprised about all the friendly and nice responses from everyone here It's a wonderful and friendly forum indeed and people here seem to be very kind and helpful. O yes, when I have made my first teddybear, you bet I will show it to you all...dont be surprised i'll have a bunch of nerves though when I'll show the first one !
Orbit360Welcome and best wishes
Hello and welcome.
I joined just a while ago and I've found everyone is so friendly and helpful.
Do have a go at making your own bears, I guarantee you will be hooked. There is nothing as satisfying as seeing their little characters emerge as you put them together. And you won't be short of help and advice here.
Anita
Xxxx
Sacred Bear StudiosGreetings John!
Though I suppose we are a minority, there are a few of us male Teddy Bear lovers here.
I bought my very first bear (meaning the first I ever owned) when I was 16, and they've been an important part of my life ever since...I'm 39 now and I own 500! I have also made teddies for many years. I'm a bit different from most collectors, I'm not recapturing childhood and they aren't symbols of anything in particular to me, it simply comes down to the fact that I believe they have souls- they make me feel loved and I am compelled to love them back.
The antidote to any possible ridicule is, as we say here in the U.S., to "own it"- be proud of them, and make it clear that you don't really care what negative people think. I make no secret of my love for them, I even have a large teddy bear always riding next to me in the front seat of my car (my license tag spells out TEDYBRS). This naturally prompts lots of questions, but no one has dared make fun of me for a very long time, when it happens I simply say "I can do what I want, and I don't care if YOU like it" which quickly shuts them up. Sometimes I get confused reactions until I explain what I'm really about, but most often people are very positive, and impressed when they see my work.
I believe my email addy is in my user profile, you are welcome to contact me. I'd be happy to help you learn bearmaking
Posts: 97Hiya BlackmoonBear and thank you very much for your wonderful welcome. I am sorry that this is coming so very late, my apologies for that. The problem has been that I have been out of things for several months cos i've been dealing with health problems and some other things. Sometimes life just interferes with things you really wanna do...But im back now and i'm glad i'm back cos i missed staying a bit in touch here and the wonderful wonderful teddies of course:)
Like you i'm a bit different from others too I guess with my teddies. For me it doesn't have anything to do with childhood either. It's more then anything cos they came in to my life at a point that I was pretty hopeless and down and out. Like you, I believe as well that teddies have souls. The atmosphere in my house has changed tremendously ever since i started with them, even though i don't have nearly as many as you yet...yes i feel loved by them too
About the reactions of other people...yep i'm learning to react the same way. I more and more couldn't ccare less of what some negative people think of my teddies and collecting them And as you say, it turns out actually that quite a lot of people react very positive to it all once you explain it to them
Thank you very much for your offer to help me with learning bear making. That too has been at a stand still the pastmonths sadly enough. But i'm picking it up again and i'm currently looking to find a decent sowing machine which would make things a lot easier. I'm pretty sure i'll email you at some point in the near future
Thanks again for your great welcome
John
