Teddy Blog

Children are innocent and free of blame. That is why it hurts adults when they are sick, hurt or afraid. We feel better when we are able to soothe them and make the bad go away. There are times when even our devout love can do nothing to help the pain and heartache a child may be feeling. When a child must undergo tests or an operation at the hospital, parents are not allowed to be with the child while these necessary procedures are being performed. The child will often feel afraid, alone, and even abandoned. Time and time again it has been proven the act of giving the child a teddy bear to hold and cuddle will take a good amounf of the frightening feelings away. There are several groups who give teddy bears to hospitals so the bears can be given to these sick and frightened children.

Good Bears of the World is a non-profit organization which gives teddy bears to children of all ages, when love and comfort will make a difference. Last year Good Bears of the World gave out 20,000 teddy bears to victims of tornados, floods, hurricanes, and domestic violence. The bears were also given to many sick, underprivileged, and injured children. This list also includes lonely senior citizens. The teddy bears are given to policemen, firemen, psychologists, emergency workers, and grief counselors who have discovered the healing power the bears have on victims of trauma. Good Bears is responsible for giving bears to the survivors of 9-11, the Oklahoma bombing, and the crash of TWA flight 800. If you would like to contribute to Good Bears of the World, the address is:
Good Bears of the World
P.O. Box 13097
Toledo, OH 43613

The Vermont Teddy Bear Company has a Big Hero, Little Hero program. The mission of this program is to make sure every child has a Teddy Bear to hug when he or she needs one the most. The Vermont Teddy bear company and donations make it possible to donate teddy bears to police departments, fire houses and rescue personnel so they may distribute them to children in need. The bears are 13 inch and for every specially designed teddy bear bought through VTBC, 2 bears will be given to help a child. You may contact them at: www.vermontteddybear.com.

Other organizations have also given teddy bears to children. The Thorndike Press in Maine donated 600 bears to the Inland Hospital to be given to sick, hurt or frightened children. The company held a silent auction, bake sales and hosted a drawing, among other actitvies. The proceeds were used to buy the teddy bears. Thorndike Press does give charitable donations every year, but felt strongly about giving bears to the Inland Hospital because a sister of an employee was in this hospital and given a bear to hold before having a treatment. After the treatment the child was still clutching the bear, even though she was unconscious.

The next time you think about giving, think about the teddy bear and how far he can go to help a child in need of comfort. Contact the above mentioned organizations to see what you can do.

Maxine Clark founded Build-A-Bear Workshops Inc. in 1997 and has served on the board of directors since the company was incorporated in 2000. By the end of 2006 nearly 300 Build A Bear Workshop stores were worldwide, including company owned stores in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada and franchised stores in Europe, Asia and Australia. Friends 2B (r) is a store designed for kids, especially girls. Clark launcheed this new addition to retail in 2004.

Many awards have been bestowed upon Build A Bear Workshop and Maxine Clark. An induction into the Junior Achievement National Business Hall of Fame was recieved in 2006. In 2005 Build A Bear Workshop was named Workshop Portfolio Company of the Year. Build A Bear Workshop was named one of the “Hottest Retailers in 2004 and the retail innovator of the year for 2001. The list goes on and on.

Build A Bear Workshops are tops when it comes to a creative way to build the very best friend you or your child may ever have. After all, the definition of a best friend is someone who does not hold your shortcomings against you, listens to your problems without giving advise unless it is asked for, and is there to comfort you when you are feeling sad, sick or hurt.

You can go to: www.buildabear.com to find the Build A Bear Workshop near you. Prices for stuffed animals start at $10 and up. All clothing and accessories are purchased separately. You can choose from many themes to dress your Teddy Bear. The website has a slumber party where you can find pajamas and slippers in several styles. There are also accessories available, such as sleeping bags which come with a carrying case. A rock and roll theme includes t-shirts, blue jeans, billed hats, sun glasses, guitars, walkmans, cell-phones and more. The Harley Davidson theme includes faux leather jackets and chaps, boots, bandanas and even a motorcycle so your best friend can ride with the pack. All of your favorites from the Wizard of Oz are ready to come to life, including Toto and his basket. These are but a few of the themes to be found at www.buildabear.com.

Each Teddy Bear and stuffed animal has a heart and virtual wishes inside, personalized birth certificate, Lifetime Paw Pass, Find A Bear tag inside and comes in a Cub Condo carrying case. Different sounds can be added to the inside of each stuffed animal purchased, depending on what you want. You can also build a teddy bear or stuffed animal for any special occasion. When you think about teddy bears, think about building your own at one of the Build a Bear Workshops near you. It’s not every day when you can build your own best friend from head to toe.

The teddy bear has been in existence for over 100 years. In that time he has had many books written about him. The adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a series of books written by A.A. Milne, about an adventurous teddy bear. Pooh and his friends, Christopher Robin, Rabbit, Tigger, Owl, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga and Roo, have great adventures in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Paddington Bear’s creator, Michael Bond, has written several books about the teddy bear who comes from darkest Peru and now resides with the Brown family at 32 Windsor Gardens. Paddington is a teddy bear with both paws planted on the ground. He has strong feelings on what is right, what is wrong, and hates bureaucratic red tape. He doesn’t look kindly on the sillier rules human beings surround themselves with. About his daily life Paddington says, “Things happen to me. I’m that sort of bear.” Paddington may conduct himself in a human way, but he could never be human. As he is fond of saying, “It just wouldn’t work.”

The Care Bears have had books written about them. Care bears are teddy bears. Each one has a message and a lesson to teach us about how we should conduct our lives. Each Care Bear has a personal motif on their tummies and a personal motto they dedicate their lives to.

Rupert, that mischievous bear who got his start as a comic strip in a London newspaper(and still appears there), has had books about him called Annuals which are put together yearly from the comic strips appearing in the paper that entire year. This has been going on for a good 50 plus years.

As far as poems go, Pooh and The Care Bears have had poetry written about them. I’m not sure about Paddington Bear and Rupert, but I wouldn’t be a bit surprised. I do recall The Teddy Bears’ Picnic poem from my own childhood.

Not only have the teddy bears mentioned above been written about and drawn, they all have their own animated television shows. Check out the listings on PBS, BBC, The Disney Channel and other station where cartoons are shown. You may also want to look for Yogi and Boo-Boo bear on Boomerang. Baloo, from The Jungle Book, has his own cartoon called Tailspins, you can find his show on some of the above mentioned cartoon stations.

Other less famous teddy bears can be found living in houses (like Paddington Bear), museums, stores, web sites, and factories waiting to be adopted. There are many talented teddy bear artists and manufacturers who have brought some pretty amazing bears to life. Here are a few websites for you to check out. Be careful because you may fall in love and adopt an adorable teddy bear of your own.

www.tbears.de, www.tailoredteddies.com, www.designsbyterri.com, www.childhoodfantasiesbear.com,www.theoriginalpakabear.com, www.settlerbears.com.au

If you can resist adopting even one of the teddy bears on these web sites, I will be amazed , because you will have more will power than most people.