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MiddlesbroughFor a bit of fun and education...I want to see your critters! Here are some of mine, mostly fairly old Steiff or Steiff like creatures. But you don't need to share certain brands - anything. Bears, dolls, other animals from whatever brand (even if you have any you don't think were made by a big brand, if they're unknown or homemade I'd still like to see them). Also say why you like that creature(s), maybe why you like the material it's been made with, and how you got them into your fabric family would be nice to hear 
Group photo (although sadly the only ones in my personal collection are all tigers and the rare full sized Steiff ocelot, which was only made for 3 years in the 60s...I spent forever trying to get one of those at a good price! The others are stock I have to let go of, the elephant and modern ginger/blond woven fabric 'Mizzy' cat have since been sold):
I love Flossy the fish because she has a really strange characterful playful look to her...you wouldn't think a real fish would ever want to play, but there you go! Steiff seem to be great at working that kind of magic. There's also a giraffe, Bazi dachshund swivel head (another really cute one I'd love to keep!), tiny poodle, Poorly jointed Zotty bear and Tulla goose.
A little close up of 'Liger' (unknown brand) and Ocelot:
Have you ever bought a used toy and felt it just gives off really nice warm 'vibes'? My green eyed Liger does more than any of my other animals (although others have sometimes done that, but to a smaller degree). I can't explain it. Something about his presence just feels welcoming - so I know he's never ever going to leave the collection no matter how many other creatures come and go.
I really adored this tiny elephant with his circus Steiff jacket and bells, I can see how he sold so quickly. I might need to make myself something similar (albeit from cheaper materials!) to help compensate for my loss :D
I also have a larger Steiff tiger on it's way He even has his button and a growler in tact! I'm supposed to be saving him to sell for profit neaer Christmas time...buuut, well. We'll see 
As you might guess, I always have real trouble letting go of the big cats! :cry:
I'm also in the process of making some of my own animals from velveteen fabric and actual rags on my artist's budget - I find them to be quite fun and unusual even though this means they're no where near as fancy as these mohair animals 
. Maybe they'll spice things up once they're done, I have lots of felt making, illustrations and paintings to do also though. So they're just a side project which is making progress for my rag animals slow, I'll have to share them once they're done
Posts: 298Sucha beautiful fish! Look at those lips! I've got to re-organize my collection so that I can fit in more bears, so once that's done and I find my camera I'll post some pics.
I will take some pics tomorrow of my bears
What a great collection! 
I've got a few Steiff myself - beginning with a blue Flossy fish given to me in childhood by some German neighbors. I still have him, and here are some others:
What I like about the Steiff animals is the combination of true-ness to nature and whimsical charm. I also appreciate the high quality, of course. They were made to be treasured and to last a long time.
Becky
TedzI'll have to take some piccies later (I'm still only on my second cup of coffee this morning, so creativity or even normality hasn't set in yet!) My 'baby' in my collection is a limited edition Steiff replica bear. I bought him a few years ago from QVC shopping channel. I'd always, always wanted a Steiff bear but couldn't afford the nice ones (they're all nice, but I mean replicas or even originals - I wish!) and I didn't want one of the new style ones. He was still above my budget but had a very appealing payment installment option. I was married at the time, and my ex was out, so I whipped the credit card out. He went beserk when I told him (and I didn't tell him how much I paid!) - to cut a long story short, the Steiff bear arrived, and is still with me now, unlike the ex! 
I'm also rather partial to the older Harrods year bears. He who mustn't be obeyed, and I had a trip to London for last new year, so we bought this years bear. But my favourites are the ones from the 90's. They made a few real old style ones, very firmly stuffed with a mohair type fur (I don't think it's real mohair). I also have few of the older style Hamleys bears. Some newer ones to of course, but the older style ones are my firm favourites. Have various other no brand and modern ones that just had cute 'buy me' faces too! He who mustn't be obeyed also loves (and used to collect bears). He's stopped since we got together because I had so many. So now we tend to buy the odd bear that appeals to us both, or as a keepsake from a special holiday/trip somewhere. A lot are permanently boxed up because we simply don't have room to put them all out on display. When Beanie Babies came out, I also started collecting those, not with any particular love for them, I must admit, but with the intention of perhaps selling them on one day. I could never do that, as they are now part of my hug. When some of those were hard to find, I travelled the length of the country to go to beanie fairs! (I still lived in the U.K. then) My friends all said I was mad!
Since moving to the Netherlands I seem to have acquired a bit of a union jack bear collection too. I'm not at all patriotic, but whenever I return to the U.K I seem to come back with at least one souvenir bear. They do a very good job of impressing the in-laws who are now starting to accept that I will never become Dutch! Integrate, yes, of course, but become.....never!
Got a couple of pics of some of my Steiff collection. I just love the diverse animals.
Boechout, AntwerpWow, you all have such beautiful Steiff collections! (makes me a bit jealous... )
So far I have mostly limited my collection to bears, but seeing these beauties makes me wonder if I shouldn't "branch out".
Sacred Bear StudiosI've never been a huge fan of steiff , especially in recent years (most of their stuff is made in china now)
But I do have a few, the 3 steiff bears I have in particular I love very much....despite their questionable parentage, I couldn't disobey when they told me to take them home :)
Actually, Steiff toys aren't made in China, and it's an interesting story: http://www.spiegel.de/international/bus … 70481.html
Becky
Sacred Bear StudiosThough it's good to see that they came to their senses and pulled the Chinese manufactury, I would take a Hansa or Charlie bear over Steiff any day of the week (and at a much lower price) .
In the 25 years I've been collecting, they really haven't evolved their designs much, and they seem over-rated to me now.
That having been said, they still make wonderful replicas of their early jointed bears, nothing beats the charm of the first Steiff bears that were made under Margaret Steiff
Posts: 298Such lovely RACCOONS! 
I especially like the fellow curled up on the bottom right. And for the record, I think the vintage and antique Steiff animals are enchanting. Nobody does a jointed teddy like Steiff!
Tedz
Had such a busy week, but am back to 'normality' now, I think. What is that anyway?! We only moved house about 6 months ago, and being one of the most disorganised people you could imagine, we've only just managed to clear the boxes from our small room - which is now my craft den. Father in law moved over a computer desk that they were storing for us, so the red carpet came out (although it wasn't needed as he didn't stay long, but between unpacking craft things that I forgot I even had, we spring cleaned about 3 times for the occasion! Not that it really needed it! 
To the Dutchies on here, I did get to practice my Dutch! I'm very proud! Father in law doesn't speak or even understand a word of English. Our not so little furry friend (boxer cross bullmastif) almost knocked elderly father in law flying, so once safely seated, I handed him some small doggy treats, to which he asked if they were for him or the dog 
..... I understand a lot more than I can say in Dutch, so in my very poor vocab, I replied 'ja, lekker!' (yes, nice/yummy!'), but luckily before they reached his mouth, he who mustn't be obeyed saved the situation (grrr!). I am impressed however that I managed to say it without an accent, or at least convincingly enough so it seemed! All ended well, father in law ate some chocolate cookies, and the little furry friend got his treats!
So I have finally got around to taking some piccies of my collection. The big Steiff bear belongs to he who mustn't be obeyed. So does the one in the suitcase (I bought it for him as he also likes Teddies, and I just liked the suitcase!), the smaller golden Steiff is my QVC replica. Off the top of my head, its a replica from the 1909 bear. I could be wrong on that, but without digging the boxes and certificates out, that date springs to mind! The larger one is the Theo bear replica (also I can't remember the year) - but he who mustn't be obeyed upon discovering that I have a passion for Steiffs, had to buy his own name bear. My purchase was purely because I'd wanted a Steiff for so long, and it had very appealing payment options, no other reason than that. The other photos are some of my Harrods and Hamleys bears (with others thrown in). My photographic skills aren't very good I'm afraid, and they're up on high shelves that I can't reach to pull them down!. The final picture is just a few miniature 'collectables' (all modern), union jack memorabilia, but also the most wonderful handmade Fimo bears. I bought those from a lady at a Christmas fair last year. She used all sorts of everyday but antique items, such as old irons etc, and stuck her fimo teddies onto them. So unique, and all in individual poses. Most were Christmas themed (we bought a beautiful wooden sleigh with these bears on, but he's packed away with the Christmas things still). So although not a brand, or mohair, or even felted bear, the iron and fimo bears were so unique that they earnt a spot in my pride collection. I've written an essay here
Netcong, New JerseyWell, I've been thinking (quite a long time really) about this post since it first went up......
My first thought was, how about showing off some of those Steiff kittens I have in that little cart somewhere around here?????
And then there's always that super fantastic pristine US Zone Steiff Bunny I picked up this summer at an antique sale for a song......(on the left) with a few of his friends.....
No, no, no, forget those Steiff for now....how about some of those cream-colored artist bears I always seem to gravitate to?
(omg, is that a DANGERBEAR on the left in the back, you say???? It is! It is! And she's a really beauty, too...her name is Amy. {thank you, Becky})
But I've decided to post instead my "regular ted" collection, Boyds, Gunds, Barrington bears, et cetera, the ones that my family and friends have brought to me over the last few years when they've come to visit, carefully wrapped in lovely paper inside small gift bags with bows and such, now residing on a little Windsor bench....I think my relatives and friends are a little extra patient with me because they think it's a little goofy to have a bear room set aside in the house....and I have to say....the teddy bears from my loved ones, they mean the most to me.
Posts: 298I love your mddle bunny, EJ! I have a thing for those simple, standing bunnies with the little front paws. Some day I'll have to make myself one. And I love your two big cream-colored bears, too- beautiful wavy fur and pronounced snouts!
TedzThere is nothing goofy about having a bear room! We don't have a room as such dedicated to bears, but they are simply in each room. They have their own corners, shelves or cabinets! I'm lucky in that my fella is also a bit of a collector, so I'm 'allowed' to create bear areas wherever I want. All decor is up to me, with the exception of no pink wallpaper and not too many flowers, but bears are quite acceptable! I can live with that! I love them all EJ, but especially the artist cream bears. They look like a bear family! All different, yet all related distantly
Awww... Such lovely groups, EJ! Amy looks quite happy with her cream-colored relatives, and I love your Steiff kitties and critters!
It's your family and friends that are really special, though--bringing you such wonderful gifts. 
Becky
Bears by EdieHere are a few pics of my doll and teddy bear room: 
Boechout, AntwerpWow, Edie, what a collection!
The dolls don't appeal to me (but that's just my personal taste ), but the bears are just amazing.
I see Merrythought, Steiff, Hermann; Cheeky's, Zotty's, several vintage bears, ...
There is one that intrigues me: in the last photo on the second shelf starting from the bottom, on the far left is a black/white panda type bear who looks quite sad. He has a mark on his right foot pad, but I can't read the maker. Can you tell me what kind of bear he is? 
Ohhh bear heaven in that room, lovely
Bears by EdieSorry to be so long in responding - I was a way for a month on holidays. The black and white panda is a Chad Valley - I'll try to get a pic of just him and post it tomorrow.
Bears by Edie
14 inch Chad Valley Panda with tags on both feet.
Such an unusual panda Thanks, Edie!
Becky
Boechout, AntwerpThanks for the picture, Edie. :thumbsup:
He is very unusual but I think he looks great. His short arms and legs give him a kind of "innocent" look. :love:
I've never seen such a Chad Valley bear, so he might be quite rare (and valuable?).
Bears by EdieNot sure what he is worth, Peter - I got him a long time ago and can't even remember what I would have paid but likely not an awful lot. I did see him pictured in one book - "Teddy Bears" by Sue Pearon and Dottie Ayers from 1995, but that bear was 20" (mine is 13"). It was listed as being worth $300 - $600 back then, but it didn't say anything about whether it was rare or not.
