For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
I just won this monster bear for a song (he was badly under-described, and I don't think the seller has any clue what he's in possession of) but the seller never did tell me who made him.....my best guess would be Steir Bears (Kathy Wallace), but since she dropped off the map after her husband died, I have no way of asking her. Anyone care to venture an educated guess?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/giant-teddy-bear-/290835146924
in any case, I'm in love with him, can't wait to get him home and smother him with affection ^_^
He is a beauty, and I see still has the original tag. I have no ideas as to who made him, but with the tag, you will know soon. What a deal. the mohair alone probably costs as much.
Wow, he is gorgeous'!! What a bargain. He needs his own chair!
Am wondering whether he is a German bear- like a Bing? The seller says he has his tags so that will answer the question hopefully!
What a BEAUTIFUL bear!!!! Ya gotta love Ebay!!!!!
Really beautiful! I think your guess as to the maker is a good one, and from the listings I see on ebay, I gather that Kathleen Wallace is no longer with us?
I look forward to seeing the bear once he or she is at your house, and to finding our for sure whose hard work went into this big'un.
Becky
Thanks guys....due to some terrible family chaos (I'll spare you that story) no one in my immediate family exchanged xmas presents this year, and I REALLY deserved to treat myself after the awful month I've been through....this was kismet. A little good kharma coming back to me for my sufferings.
I can't wait to give him a huge hug right out of the box and tell him how special he is to me- I think we'll both feel alot better ^_^
@ eeyore- Hmm, probably not Bing, I don't think- if I recall correctly they went out of business in the 60's, and this guy looks much newer than that, 90's at the oldest....it did occur to me that he might be Steiff, but as far as I know Maximillian (who I own) is the biggest replica mohair bear they've made, and this guy looks bigger than Max!
@dangerbears- I had that backwards...yes, Kathleen died, survived by her husband who is no longer making bears. I'm saddened by that, as I have a very fond memory of them:
back in the mid 90's when I was very new to "serious" teddy bear collecting, the whole artist scene was intimidating to me. So, I was at the ABC show in Tampa, and a huge, beautiful 40 inch alpaca grizzly in the center of their table caught my eye. I was head over heels in love with him, but he was $950, which was, back then, a colossal amount of money (I was in my early 20's and not making much yet) so they told me they'd take post-dated monthly checks, which I happily wrote out, and thanked them. As I turned to walk away Kathleen asked me "Don't you want to take your bear with you?".....I was stunned. "Um, wait, what?....you're just going to let me take him before the checks clear?" she replied, "We trust you."
That few minutes set the tone for my entire perception of the teddy bear community, and it's still one of my most cherished memories of bear collecting.