Teddy Blog

It’s the 50th birthday for Paddington Bear! This cute,cuddly bear who wears a yellow raincoat has been making generations of children happy. With his winsome little face and the slicker with hat, Paddington has been cuddling with children of all ages. I can remember the first time I saw Paddington and feel in love with him. My children have had Paddington snuggle with them at bedtime. He is an endearing soul.

With all the stories written about Paddington since his conception, it’s hard to believe he is an “old bear”. I doubt if his creator Michael Bond could have realized Paddington would be around after 50 years and still be a popular bear. Best wishes, Paddington, and hopes for many more years of giving children pleasure.

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.

Teddy bears, teddy bears everywhere. Teddy bears are the most popular of all toys. Cute, soft and cuddly, they have a way of comforting us when we are lonely, ill or afraid. Teddy bears listen to our opinions without argument, hear our problems without attempting to solve them, and understand when we need a hug. Over the past 100 years there have been a few teddy bears that have reached celebrity status. These particular teddy bears have been so popular they are recognized by their first names!

Winnie The Pooh comes to mind when we mention famous teddy bears. He was created by A.A. Milne with much inspiration from his wife Daphne, and his young son, Christopher Robin. The idea of Pooh began with a trip to the zoo where Christopher Robin Milne fell in love with a small black bear. This prompted Milne to write about the adventures of Christopher Robin, his teddy bear Pooh, and their friends. Today you will find Pooh everywhere. There are Winnie The Pooh clothes, bedding, animated cartoons, web sites and, of course, the teddy bear himself.

Paddington Bear is quite famous in his own right. Paddington was created by Michael Bond, a British writer who wrote his first book about the bear in 1958. ” A Bear Called Paddington” was the first in a series of books about Paddington Bear. In 1967 Bond’s books became so successful that he was able to quit his job to become a full-time writer. Paddington is the sort of bear with his paws settled firmly on the ground. He has a great sense of right and wrong and tends to get involved in everyday situations. No wild adventures for this bear. He gets involved with human situations, but he could never be human because as he tells everyone it simply wouldn’t work. Paddington bear has also been depicted as an animated cartoon and has been made into a huggable teddy bear.

Rupert the bear was first introduced as a comic strip in ‘The Daily Express’, a British newspaper. Rupert was introduced by artist Mary Toutel on November 8, 1920, and he still appears in the same paper today. Mary was forced to stop drawing the cartoon in1935 due to her failing eyesight. Alfred Bestall took over the job and continued drawing and writing about the adventures of Rupert for 35 years until his retirement in 1965. Since then various artists have taken over the task. Christmas of1936 it was decided that the previous cartoon strips be put together in an annual book and a tradition began. Rupert is popular with children and has become a star in his own right through animation. He is a popular cartoon.

It would not be right to end this article without mentioning two other bears of note. Yogi Bear, introduced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera in 1957, is a very pesky but lovable cartoon character who has been a teddy bear a time or two. Yogi is famous for his schemes to swindle campers out of their pic-in-ic baskets in Jellystone National Park. Smokey The Bear has been responsible for the prevention of forest fires. He has been teaching adults and children about the dangers of forest fires for over 60 years. Smokey has also been a teddy bear.