Bear of the Month - June 2015

After my recent visit to Disneyland and purchase of three Duffy bears of various themes, it wasn't difficult for me to decide on the bear of this month - Duffy Bear from Disney! The details of this immensely huggable bear are available in Disney Store and I will share the brief details from that website, along with a picture courtesy the Disney store link above. 

Here's a bear--y special friend of Mickey's! Duffy the Disney Bear was made by Minnie to keep Mickey company on a long voyage, and now you can have your very own Duffy to keep you company and dress him in special outfits.

Product Details

Created especially for Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort

Please Note: Purchase of this item is limited to 5 per Guest.

Now, after traveling around the globe, Duffy the Disney Bear has found his way to Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts! As every child's favorite teddy bear comes to life, Duffy affectionately greets Guests at Epcot's World Showcase and Disney California Adventure's Paradise Pier. 

Now available online, Duffy is so excited to join you and share all of your wonderful adventures! So, where will you take Duffy?

• Soft, fuzzy and huggable
• Duffy's left backside and both bottom paws feature Mickey Mouse head icons
• Outfits are available for 17'' Duffy the Disney Bear, sold separately
• Part of the Duffy the Disney Bear Collection

17'' H

Imported

2014 March - Bear of The Month

The Bear, or rather Bears, of the month March 2014 is the 2 x 7" Collectors Edition Me to You Bear Gift Set. The latest addition to my bear hug is a Tatty Bear, which led me to explore this brand in greater detail. I fell in love with the brand, and decided to feature it in my blog. 

Perfect for any Me to You Fan, this must have 2 x 7" Collectors Edition Me to You Bear Gift Set features the original brown bear alongside the grey Tatty Teddy we all know and love. Celebrating 18 years of Me to You.

Me to You Bears, also known as the Tatty Teddy is the famous grey bear with the blue nose and patches. There's one for every occasion. Picture and information credit: http://www.metoyouonline.com/details.aspx?PID=12818

2013 November - Bear of the Month

November is celebrated as National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo. Hence I felt it is appropriate to choose the Shakespeare Bear by British Teddy Bears. 

The Worlds most famous playwright, William Shakespeare is wearing an authentic black tabard skilfully trimmed with antique gold satin and bottle green velvet Elizabethan Bonnet with a green feather trim. The Bards ruff has been hand folded from high quality grosgrain ribbon using the same technique developed over 400 years ago. Never without his feather quill Shakespeare carries his three favourite plays; Hamlet, Macbeth and Romeo & Juliet, each book is bound with unprinted pages so little authors can add their own words. This is the perfect way to introduce Shakespeare to budding writers; Shakespeare will happily sit on a graduate’s desk or cuddle up for a bedtime story.

Details courtesy and available for purchase at: http://britishteddies.com/shop/shakespeare/

Who says a teddy is useless?!

Hello!

Since my Mom is too busy to blog about us bears these days, I thought I would do the honors myself.

I am Timmy, my Mom's favorite bear. (Don't tell other bears in my hug that I am her favorite though - it is our little secret). I think my first blog post will help people understand why a bear is a must for everybody.

Some people think all you ever need is one teddy. Some think all you ever need is no teddy. While one teddy is understandable, I never realize why "no teddy" seems a good option to some.

A bear brings a smile to one's face. That in itself should be reason enough to adopt one of us. A bear also brings comfort when one is sad. Now that is not something your gadgets or other toys can do, is it? Ha! Score = Bear - 2, Others - 0.

We are also soft, cuddly and infinitely cute to look at. :) We are nice, good and are great at keeping secrets. :D And, you don't need to feed us anything more than your love. :)

Teddy bears make the world a better place. (Wow, I should copyright that phrase. On it as soon as I post this.) So gift yourself or a loved one a bundle of cuddliness, adorableness and love! :)

Much Love,
Timmy the Teddy Bear.

2010 September - Bear of the Month

The Bear for the month of September 2010 is "Birthday Cheeky" from Merrythought, available in a Limited Edition of 80. This little 6" fully jointed mohair Cheeky has been made especially for Merrythought's 80th birthday celebrations. 1930 to 2010 is embroidered on his footpad.

As no teddy bear collection can be complete without the classic Cheeky bear, I chose this bear to be our September bear.

2010 August - Bear of the Month

The bear of the month of August, 2010 is "Willow" by Deans.

An extra soft panda made from a longish brown and peach mohair combination. He has suedette pads and paws. He is a 15" jointed bear from the Deans 2010 Collection. This bear is a limited edition of 30.

Image and info courtesy, and purchasable from: http://www.ashbybears.com/acatalog/Willow_by_Deans.html

2010 July - Bear of the Month

July 24th is Margarete Steiff's birthday. She was born in 1847 in Germany and founded Steiff. So this month's bear, is of course, a Steiff bear.

The bear of the month of July 2010 is STEIFF COSY YEAR BEAR 2010 - 40cm - a superb present to commemorate a special event in 2010 (3 years and upwards) bear. (Steiff teddy code : 663413, overall size ~ 40cm, £39.95 [ postage is still free !! ])

Here we have the long awaited Steiff 2010 Cosy Year Bear. He is made from knitted brown plush and is machine washable and has the year 2010 embroidered on one of his paws. The Cosy Year Bear embraces all the traditional ingredients we love about Steiff but he is also so very soft and has a huge hug. Whether you are buying him as a gift or are a collector of our year bears we are sure you will be thrilled with this years design. So whether he is your companion or a gift for someone special he is sure to bring great happiness. Yellow label with famous Steiff button in the ear.

Remember you receive a free exclusive Bel Air Collectors bag and free delivery within the UK. Image and info from: http://www.steiffteddybears.co.uk/steiff_bear.asp?steiff_code=663413

Holidays!

Holidays are the perfect occasion to give and receive teddy bear gifts. It is a wonderful time for collectors, with family and friends feeding their collecting frenzy.

These holidays, make your own wish list of bears! And don't forget to buy a special Santa Bear to remember the Christmas by.

Also, make sure teddy bears are included in the holiday decorating! A bunch of bears under a Christmas tree would look simply adorable. Santa and other red and white bears scattered around tastefully in the rooms would also give a christmas-y feel to the home.

It is also a time to take a deep look at your collection, and decide upon the objectives for the year ahead. It is a great time to take an inventory of your bears, and may be even decide which bears are ready to be given away to others who might enjoy them more - especially if storage is becoming a problem for you.

Make some new year bear resolutions, and figure out the direction you want your collection to grow in, in the upcoming year. It would be good to do this fairly early, so your wishlist can contain the bears you really need.

Last but not the least - take the time to really enjoy the collection, by playing with them and taking many photos of them posing in various settings!

Themed bear displays

I decided to have seasons themes for my teddy bear collection displays. I will be having themed displays for each season, with bears wearing the right colors and costumes. I can also set the theme by staging certain elements of the season in my bear display shelf - miniature snowmen, hanging snowflakes, santa's deers and valentine hearts for winter; florals for spring and so on. Here is how I plan to arrange the bears each season:

Winter:

Winter says christmas, snow and also valentine's day for me. So my winter display will have my polar bears, cream bears, grey bears and also bears of other colors in winter clothing (think Boomer bear from Russ). Not to forget Santa Bears! The left portion of my display will contain the christmas theme and the right will be a valentine's theme, with all my I love you bears and red bears. In the middle, I will put bears to blend the themes in by using some transition bears.

Spring:

Pastels and green shout spring. A spring display needs lots of pink, lavender, silver, pastel blue and other shades well blended, using bears of that color. Green bears can set a background for the display, or a green spring landscape scene would be the perfect setting for all the pastels to bloom in. No greys or whites here!

Summer:

Summer is for bright colors and daring patterns. I shall put up my yellow, orange, deep blue and other summery colors in this display, all set in a background of sunflower pictures. Multicolored bears can also be a part of a summer display. Light and airy summer or outdoor costumed bears in any color fur can also join in the fun, and will help to set the mood. While it is always fun to mix and match bears of different bold colors, it would be important to create a balanced look by blending the colors well with transition bears. I am even thinking a rainbow theme - bears from violet through red, all arranged from left to right.

Autumn:

A fall display can look great in harvest colors of red, orange, gold etc. One or two purple bears can also add to the fun of the setting and prevent it from looking too orange-y. I would want to throw in a background setting with fall pictures to set the mood.

Some of the bears can fit more than one season. Every bear in the collection gets to come out in at least one season - so none is left forever in storage. Plus, this setting gives me my shopping list, too - "now, if I can find a lavender bear for the spring season, it would be great!" So my bear collection would be more enjoyable and more visually appealing too.

You can try this yourself. Find out themes you love, and put up a display exclusively for that theme. You will have a lot of fun, and perhaps even add more bears to your hug after an exciting hunt for the perfect pieces of your theme. And you never know, you may even end up centering your entire collection around that particular theme!

Finding direction in your collection

Heya,

Let's face it - bears aren't exactly something you can store away in desk drawers, they take up space. And as with any collector, a bear collector also tends to collect first and think later about storage and display. Plus, in these economic times, it is not easy for non-multimillionaire collectors to buy everything they love.

So, what do we do? How do we make sure that our collection doesn't end up wasting money or space? The answer is direction.

The reason why many teddy bear collectors seem to end up with rooms overflowing with bears and hardly any time or space to enjoy them, is because they went around collecting every bear that caught their eye. In the initial stages where teddy bears of any and every type attract us, it is hard not to fall into this problem. I admit I had it too.

But sooner or later, we realize that if we keep doing things that way, we would soon end up homeless, or would have to part with a majority of the collection in order to make room for new comers. Or it may cause friction with your loved ones who once tried to be supportive of your bear-mania by gifting you special teddies.

So, a time comes when we just have to find a direction to our collection. A time when we decide, okay, from now on I am going to focus on this manufacturer / material / character / color / country, and only buy teddies of that area. This would significantly reduce impulse buys, and you would have a collection which looks more professional and appealing. Plus, it might even end up being more valuable than a generic and unfocused collection.

Now, finding this direction would give us specific collecting goals. What is the next thing I am looking for? And the thrill of the hunt begins. It is much more fun to actively seek and find a special bear than to randomly pick up a cute bear at the local mall.

Since you can pick your direction depending on your taste, budget and space availability, chances are it wouldn't end up causing you too much trouble. And you might even be able to enjoy the collection more.

Once you feel you have collected enough from a certain niche, you can always move on to a new niche, so it is not like you are tied up for life. Also, even while you are focusing exclusively on one segment, if a unique and special bear comes your way for a great price, you needn't hesitate to bring her home either ;)

Now, after eight years of collecting, is my own collection starting to find a direction now? Yes, finally! I am now focusing on colors, and adding uniquely colored ones to my collection. So, if you have an amethyst or gold colored bear to spare, feel free to send them my way ;)

Cheers!

2009 November - Bear of the Month

The 2009 November bears of the month are Pilgrim Bears from Vermont Teddy Bear Company, specially made for Thanksgiving fun! These 15" bears are available in Buttercream fur.

Wearing gold-buttoned jackets with white collars, her outfit is complete with aproned skirt and bonnet and his with brown knickers and traditional Puritan hat. Send them as a gift to celebrate the season or let them overlook your festive feast as the Thanksgiving table centerpiece.

Content and picture courtesy: http://www.vermontteddybear.com/SellGroup/Pilgrim-Bears.aspx

2009 October - Bear of the month

The bear of October 2009 is a 5" Gund bear, named "Elvis Love me tender." He comes in three colors: Beige, purple and silver.

Love Me Tender recreates one of Elvis Presley's classic moments of rock n roll in this collectible teddy bear.

Gund has worked with bear designer, Susan Johnson, to produce this fabulous collection of Limited Edition mohair bears and this miniature collectible teddy bear is one of six from the Elvis Presley Teddy Bears Collection - a 2006 Limited edition of 550.

The little bear wears a clown's hat and neckerchief in purple and silver and has three buttons stitched to his tummy.

This Elvis teddy bear will be rocking and rolling right into your heart and comes in a gift box with a numbered certificate of authenticity.

This is a collectible item and not suitable for children under 14 years.

Surface washable.

Information courtesy: http://www.teddybearfriends.co.uk/

2009 September - Bear of the month

The bear of the month of September 2009 is Lady Bukowski Bear from Bukowski. This 12" bear is a light brown teddy bear with soft medium-length plush.

Lady Bukowski is in a misty rose coloured traditional dress with white lace trimming.

On her head she wears a matching bonnet and she has beans in her bottom that enable her to pose in a sitting position without support.

Lady Bukowski bear has small round black beads for eyes and a brown stitched nose.

Information courtesy: http://www.teddybearfriends.co.uk/

A collector's coming of age!

As with any collection, we often find that a collector "comes-of-age" when the focus of the collection shifts from quantity to quality.

Now, in the case of teddy bears especially, quality does not really translate to highly priced collectibles alone. It means owning bears that have a special quality in your eyes. It means selecting bears because they are just ones you cannot live without. It also means choosing bears not just because they are ones you can afford or are the ones that others seem to appreciate.

A true quality teddy bear collection has only those bears which bring joy to the collector. Each bear would be special in the eyes of the collector.

Unlike several other hobbies, a teddy bear collection is one that should be purely accumulated for the joy of it. Investment shouldn't really be a concern. Although, if the bears that bring you joy are top-notch collectible ones, go ahead by all means! But remember that the true quality of a bear is in how much you enjoy him/her.

And, if at some point you feel like you should pass on a bear in a collection to someone who would enjoy it more than you would, don't feel guilty about it! After all, every bear deserves to be loved, and it is only fair that they should end up with people who truly love them.

Cheers!

2009 August - Bear of the month

The bear of the month of August 2009 is Talia, from Charlies Bears' Isabelle Collection. She is designed by the award winning artist Isabelle Lee. She is made from the finest German Schulte Mohair, with glass eyes and a fully jointed body. She is a limited edition bear and comes with her own certificate of authenticity and presentation box. Not a bear to be missed!

2009 July - Bear of the month

The bear of the month of July 2009 is Laura Bearybloom, from Boyds. She is the July bear month, and represents Larkspur, the flower of July. She is a limited edition bear, only 2200 bears made! She has hand crafted embellishments and custom-blended fur. She is adorned in an elegant blend of co-ordinating satins, tulle and custom fabrics. She has a bear of the month foot sash, hand numbered foot patch and customized bear of the month hang tag. Don't miss her!

Candy Month!

Hello!

June is Candy Month! Here are some ways to celebrate it with your bears!

1. Give candy to your bears! Make sure you don't give them too many though, since they may develop a tooth ache!

2. Name a bear "Candy"! Perhaps one that reminds you of a candy?

3. Save up candy money and buy a bear!

4. Take the bears out on picnic and bring lots of candy! June 21st, the first day of summer, may just be the perfect day for that! This year, it falls on a sunday too!

5. Have a candy themed party for the bears!

6. Gift a bear and a candy to a child and spread the joy!

7. Post a blog about your beary special candy month!

8. Take pictures of your bears with lots of candy!

9. Get together with fellow bear collectors and arrange a candy themed teddy bear picnic!

10. Write in your own creative candy month bear experiences as comments!

Cheers!

2009 June - Bear of the Month

Drum Roll please... The bear of the month of June 2009 is Russ Ebbets Teddy Bear, a Limited Edition 14" winner.

Ebbets is a very special stuffed bear. Don't miss an opportunity to own this Limited Edition bear, named by Russ Berrie for his favorite Brooklyn, NY baseball field. Ebbets is made of Mystic Minque, has jointed neck, arms and legs and features a flocked ribbon tie and personal signature of Russ Berrie embroidered on his paw pad.

A 10th Anniversary Signature Bear limited to only 5000 pieces, this heirloom quality teddy comes with a hand numbered certificate that includes images of all ten of the Signature Collection Bears. Wrapped in tissue and gift boxed, each hand numbered Ebbets carries the personal signature of Russ Berrie...and is sure to become a treasured companion for you or someone special!

Cheers!

Organize your bear collection

Hello!

Are you addicted to bears? Do you have so many bears in your collection that you don't know what to do with them? Here are some tips to organize your bear collection.

1. Create a bear catalogue.
This will come really handy not just to identify your bears even after the tags wear out, but also in valuing them later on. You can create a simple catalogue in a notepad or in your computer as an excel sheet. The name of the bear, manufacturer/artist, purchase date, purchase place, bill number, price and any other comment can be included in your catalogue. Don't worry if you don't have the details of any of your bears so far, you can always just write down the names of the bears you own, and fill in the details for the bears you buy from now on. It would be a good idea to save the bill too, by affixing it to your bear's page in the catalogue.

2. Decide on an organizing theme.
You can organize your bears in so many different ways. It would be a good idea to decide how you are going to classify your bears. You can do it by color, by manufacturer, by age (antique, vintage, modern), by artist, by size etc. Once you have decided on a theme of your choice, you can go about classifying each bear to its group. If you have a bear catalogue in place, you can include the classification also in it.

3. Decide which bears to store away.
Often, our collections get too huge and our space too small. In such cases, we may have to store some of our precious friends away in an attic or basement temporarily. Remember to store them in moisture free places, after wrapping each one in a white cloth, and away from direct sunlight and pests. If you have decided on a theme, you can decide to display one particular group only for now, and store all the rest away.

4. Display your bears.
You would be left with some choice bears which you are going to display. You can arrange these bears around your house, or collect them all in one show case. Remember to clean each chosen bear before display. Make sure you display them out of reach of pets and pests. Remember that every once in a while, the bears would love it if you would take them down from display positions and play with them!

5. Rotate your display.
The fun part about your displaying your collection is in rotating. You can rotate your bear display every month, every season (summer, autumn etc), every year or just whenever you feel like it. Rotating your display helps to liven up your living space and give it a touch of freshness. Also, it will make sure that no bear gets stored away for too long, because they do love attention and company! If you have classified your bears into groups, you can rotate each group in a period of time. For example, you may have divided your bears according to color. Perhaps you can display all your white bears in January, red bears in February, yellow ones in March and so on! Have fun with your display, enjoy your collection.

Hope these tips are helpful in organizing your collection and enjoying it more!

Cheers!

2009 May - Bear of the Month

Hello!

May is the month of Mother's Day. So, for 2009 May, our bear of the month is a Mother's Day special bear.

She is a 15" "Home is Where Your Mom Is" Vermont Teddy Bear. She comes with a yellow hair bow, a green petticoat and a yellow smock sundress. This decidedly supercute bear comes in 7 possible fur colors - Vanilla, Buttercream, Honey, Dark Chocolate, Snow, Mable and Espresso.

She is the best possible gift to say "I love you, Mom"!

Cheers!