Almost every child owns a teddy bear, and so it's amazing to think that
less than a century ago, these toys hadn't even been thought of. The story
goes that the American President, Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, was on a
shoot in 1902, after three days no bears were found. Eventually his guides
found an old bear which they had trapped - here was the bear for him to
shoot. The President refused, and the incident was turned into a cartoon
by Clifford Berryman in a Washington newspaper. A Russian emigre called
Morris Michtom, who owned a store in Brooklyn, made some toy bears and
displayed them in the window, calling them 'Teddy's Bear'. They became
so popular that Michtom established the Ideal Toy Company.
However,
at the same time a German toy company called Steiff was developing a jointed
bear, which was seen by an American wholesaler. The wholesaler promptly
purchased 3,000, aware of the sudden interest in bears. Steiff bears are
probably the most sought after, and can be distinguished by their trademark
'button in the ear' - a round metal tag firmly attached to the bear's
ear. Old bears have long arms, elongated noses and humpe d backs, and
often don't look as friendly as modern ones. Their eyes are glass and
they are filled with wood wool, so feel much harder than modern-day bears
filled with soft, synthetic stuffing.
Other early manufacturers included Bing, Schuco, Hermann and Gund. British
bears are collectable too , and today companies such as Deans and Merrythought
run their own clubs, which allow members to obtain special editions of
their bears. Other British companies included J K Farnell, Chad Valley,
Pedigree and Chiltern.
In
the 1950s, a company called Wendy Boston introduced an unjointed, machine-wash
able bear, with screw-in plastic safety eyes. Many people collect character
bears. Probably the most famous is Winnie-the-Pooh, who can be obtained
either in traditional style or based on the Disney cartoon. Disney Stores
sell a range of Pooh Beanies.
Pictured left: "Teddy Girl" a cinnamon Steiff teddy bear Sold for £110,000,
December 1994 A World record price for a teddy bear London, South Kensington
Another very popular bear is Paddington who becam e famous in a series
of books by Michael Bond. Originally Paddington was made by the company
of Gabrielle Designs in the UK, and by Eden Toys in the U.S. Recently,
however, Gabrielle Designs closed down, and now the bears are made by
Eden. Consequently the Gabrielle versions of Paddingtons are becomi ng
very sought after.
The
Daily Express bear, Rupert, is another favourite character, very distinctive
in his red jumper and yellow check trousers with matching scarf. Care
Bears, a range of brightly coloured bears with embroidered motifs on their
tummies, were made by Kenner in the 1980s, and today are becoming increasingly
collectable. They can be obtained in many different pastel colours, and
have names such as Love-a-lot, Good Luck, Grumpy and Wish Bear. Some of
the bears, such as Sea Friend and Forest Friend were UK exclusives. Modern
bears, such as those made by Applause and Russ Berrie, all have their
following - as well, of course, as the colourful Ty Beanie Bears and Buddies.
Teddy collectors are known as Arctophiles, and a collection of teddies
is called a Hug!
Related Features
Teddy Bears Index
Rupert Bear Collecting
Paddington Bear Collecting
