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Clifford Berryman's cartoon of Roosevelt
as a Rough Rider with a bear cub
LOC: Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, artist
Perhaps the most famous " Classic Toy "
is the TEDDY BEAR
which originated from a 1902 cartoon in the
Washington Post depicting President Teddy
Roosevelt refusing to shoot a bear cub.
Before long , soft stuffed bears
began appearing in toy stores
all around the world.
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History of Winnie the Pooh
During the first World War,
troops from Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada)
were being transported to eastern Canada,
on their way to Europe,
where they were to join the
2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade.
When the train stopped at White River,
Ontario, a lieutenant called
Harry Colebourn bought
a small female black bear cub
for $20 from a hunter
who had killed its mother.
He named her 'Winnipeg',
after his hometown of Winnipeg,
or 'Winnie' for short.
Winnie became the mascot
of the Brigade and went to Britain
with the unit.
When the Brigade was posted
to the battlefields of France,
Colebourn, now a Captain, took Winnie
to the London Zoo
for a long loan.
He formally presented the London Zoo
with Winnie in December 1919
where he became a popular attraction
and lived until 1934.
The bear was also very popular
with Christopher Robin,
son of author A.A. Milne.
It was his favourite animal at the Zoo,
and he often spent time inside the cage
with it.
The bear was Christopher Robin's
inspiration for calling
his own teddy bear Winnie.....
Winnie the Pooh
(this teddy bear started out
with the name of Edward Bear)
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Two tiny red pandas at Edmonton zoo
carry survival of species on furry shoulders
Tai the female and Pip the male were born May 26 , 2008
and have already almost tripled their birth weights of 112 and 147 grams.
They're the second set of twins born to the zoo's pair of adult red pandas
and are part of a breeding program aimed at ensuring survival of the species.
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Dakin Bears & Animals
The Dakin Building was constructed in 1986
under commission of the R. Dakin Company,
one of the largest manufacturers of plush products
(mainly teddy bears)
in the United States at that time.
Dakin was in a large upswing of sales and profits
in the late 1980s
fueled by success of its Garfield character licenses,
and needed to accommodate its burgeoning staff of
artists and designers.
The front exterior entrance to the Dakin building originally featured
a large stone sculpture of a teddy bear, hewn from natural stone.
This bear became the hallmark of the high-tech building
embodying the playful spirit of the R.Dakin designers
. The bear is designed in the manner of Benny Bufano
by sculptor Judith Lord.
When Hogan sold the Dakin Building in 1995,
he retained ownership rights to the bear.
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The Vermont Teddy Bear Company
Launching a One-Man Business: 1981
The Vermont Teddy Bear Company was created in 1981
when 30-year-old John Sortino began sewing cloth bears
on his wife's sewing machine for his newborn son.
His first creation was named Bearcho because its thick black eyebrows
and mustache resembled those of Groucho Marx.
Later bears were machine washable and dryable
with movable arms and legs and were cuddly and safe for children.
They had, according to Sortino, personality.
Key Dates:
1981: John Sortino sews his first teddy bear.
1983: Sortino founds The Vermont Teddy Bear Co., Inc.
1990: Vermont Teddy Bear introduces the 'Bear-Gram.'
1993: The company holds its initial public offering.
1994: The company builds a $6 million factory
which doubles as a tourist attraction.
1995: R. Patrick Burns replaces John Sortino
as chief executive officer.
1996: The company opens its first store on Madison Avenue
in New York City.
1997: Elisabeth B. Robert becomes the company's
chief executive officer.
1998: The company closes all retail outlets.
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Russ Berrie & Co. Inc.
Founded In 1963 by a New Jersey toy salesman
Russell Berrie
As a child in the East Bronx he worked
delivering Sunday newspapers,
and selling scorecards at baseball games.
With $500, he rented a garage in Palisades Park, New Jersey,
and launched his own firm, named after himself.
Berrie himself was Russ Berrie and Company's sole employee.
He handled all tasks, from selling products,
to putting them in packages,
to typing up invoices.
At the end of the year, he had racked up $60,000 in sales.
Working with a designer,
he came up with a line of stuffed animals
and dubbed them "Fuzzy Wuzzies."
In 1968, the company hired its first full-time salesperson.
This step allowed Russ Berrie & Company
to promote its own products
In 1971, sales passed the $7 million mark
1982, the company was listed as one of the
500 fastest growing privately held firms
in the United States
1983, annual sales of Russ Berrie & Company products
had exceeded $100 million
1992, Russ Berrie & Company's fortunes got a lift,
with the popularity of one of its oldest products, Trolls,
squishy dolls with rubbery faces and hair that stood on end
--were experiencing wild demand
The company has gone upwards to 400+ million
Subsidiary: Amram's Distributing, Limited (Canada)
What a success story !!!
And I LOVE to be able to provide their hard to find
stuffed bears and animals
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Fechter Bears
Fechter is the best known of the Austrian Bear makers
making bears from 1947 to 1978
After WW2
Owned by Wilhelm & Berta Fechter of Neustadt Germany
Berta learned her trade working at the
Nicol Steiner Factory in 1949
Registered their business in a house in Leonhardbach district
First materials used were American army blankets & towels
Then they used excellent quality Mohair
Berta who was such a hard worker made sure
everything was run absolutely perfect
She would make sure her employees were always working
to make her bears the best and would often say
" No time for idle chat "
Anyone who worked for her would apprentice for 3 years in college
to learn everything they could about bear making
and then apprentice again at her factory..
All Fechter Bears were VERY EXPENSIVE to buy
and they wouldnt sell them through department stores
which made them harder to obtain..
The bears were made with mohair and had open mouths..
Very few had closed mouths and are rare and hard to find now.
Austrian buyers loved the open mouths
Uk buyers loved the closed mouths
1960's - 1970's
Major expansion and the factory was moved
to Wies in 1973.
Wies is a town in the district of Deutschlandsberg in Styria in Austria.
From 1973 Fechter began to use the Styria Tags.
Sadly Berta Fechter died and her husband Wilhelm took over
the factory until 1979..
Wilhelm Fecter passed away in 1983
and the contents of the factory sold to a dealer from Usa
As you can see the history of Fechter Bears is very interesting
and to actually own one of these bears is a must have for any true bear collector
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First Polar Bear Born in Berlin Zoo in 30 Years
Berlin Zoo is delighted at the birth of Knut,
the first polar bear to be born in the animal park
in over 30 years.
Knut weighed only 810 grams (1.8 pounds)
when he was born
He still has a long way to go though
Adult male polar bears can weigh up to 800 kilograms
Little Knut spent the first 44 days of his life
in an incubator
Thanks to the loving care of the zoo staff, he grew healthy
Ohh im such a ferocious little guy !
Look at those claws.. WOW
Babys First Steps
Bye Everybody !
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