Jan 22 2008
Teddy Bear Museums
Teddy bears have been around for over 100 years. In that time many have been well loved and ready to retire. There is no “nursing home” for teddy bears, so many are given to collectors or museums to sit comfortably and be admired by all.
Greenfield Village and the Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, is one of the museums where a teddy bear may live his life in peaceful retirement. This museum has hundreds of items on exhibit. There are several antique exhibits which include some of the first teddy bears ever made. Be sure and see all of the exhibits since the bears are in more than one place.
The Teddy Bear Museum in Naples, Florida, has over 4,000 bears on exhibit. Nearly 40,000 visitors from around the world visit the museum yearly. This ‘dream home for teddy bears’ has many displays including antique and limited edition bears plus bear paintings, sculptures, posters and collectibles. The museum highlights the teddy bear by some of the world’s most imaginative bear designers working with various materials. The museum sponsors community events throughout the year including teas, workshops and bear shows.
The Puppet, Teddy Bear and Toy Museum located in Germany, provides a history of puppets and toys dating from 1845. A special rarity is the Steiff Teddy Bear School from 1910.
The Dorset Teddy Bear Museum located in the United Kingdom is a wonderful place for children and adults who still know what it is like to have fun. You can see such favorites as Rupert Bear, Winnie The Pooh and even today’s TV favorites all included in a century of teddy bear history. If viewing this exhibit prompts you to adopt a bear of your own, there is a teddy bear shop on nearby Trinity Street. The Northam House Museum of Early Childhood features an antique teddy bear museum and an antique doll museum. There are over 700 antique and vintage teddy bears and more than 200 antique dolls on display at a museum in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Museums are a great place to visit teddy bears that used to belong to someone else. The attachments we form to our teddy bear goes beyond that of any other toy. He is our hero when the dark night gets scary, our guest when we need a partner to play a game or join our party, a companion when we are going on a very dangerous adventure, and a best friend when we are feeling sad or lonely. A teddy bear can be described the same as the definition of a friend: someone who knows all your faults and loves you anyway.
No tag for this post.
