On Saturday two items of significance happen to me. I made some money, not a huge amount, enough to purchase a bottle of Champagne, which I am inclined to indulge in on very rare occasions.

Two small episodes: -

I have sold Major League Ball Media Guides for more than three years and they slowly and surely sell every year. They are bought because baseball fans want them as collectables. This gentleman almost bought the lot, leaving me 13 titles of the MLB clubs in USA. The weight of all these books was almost too heavy for me to carry, when they were packed to send out on Monday.

Son 5 came to visit us on Saturday with a Santa Claus Teddy Bear from CAREFLIGHT. As I sell Teddy Bears in quantity, I listed this Santa Saturday night by 11.00 PM and by 5.00 AM Sunday morning it had sold. The significance is not that it sold, but it sold within five hours. Admitably Queensland is different from the rest of Australia. They are an hour behind in time, as they believe the extra hour of sunshine Australia gain fades their curtains. A small item in a world worried about so many things, still I think of little things such as Teddy Bears, and little children.

So this hub is called The Power of the Teddy Bear…. Why is it so?

You too can know the History of Teddy Bears

Although the exact origin of the teddy bear is not certain, there are two stories that seem to explain the creation of the teddy bear at around the same time.

Teddy’s Bear

In the first, U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear cub offered to him following an unsuccessful hunting trip in 1902. When a cartoon showing “Teddy’s bear” turned up in newspapers throughout the country, lollies store owner Morris Michtom came up with a design for a jointed toy bear. Teddy’s bear was such a hit that Michtom closed his lollies store and started the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company, now one of the largest toy manufacturers in the world.

Michtom did not use a label for his jointed mohair plush bears, and this has made authenticating his bears much more difficult. The early Ideal bears are similar to Steiff bears, but have larger ears set low on the head and feet that are slightly pointed.

Steiff’s bear

In the second story, German toy designer Richard Steiff is believed to have viewed performing bears in a circus when he visited America, giving him the idea for a toy bear with jointed arms and legs that could turn its head like a doll. In 1903, he exhibited his new toy, Friend Petz, at the Leipzig Spring Toy Fair.

The Steiff plush bears, with long, curved limbs and spoon-shaped paws, are immediately identifiable by the company’s trademark. The earliest buttons from 1903 to 1904 were embossed with an elephant; next followed a blank disc, from 1904 to 1905; and thereafter a stud stamped with the name "Steiff.''

I have a feeling of U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt being that The Teddy Bear craze originated from him. That is probably because I am a fan of President Teddy Roosevelt. It is still a free world, so your choice is open to you. It does not really matter.

Whatever the real story, both Steiff bears and Michtom bears are the most valuable because the early versions are rare. There might not be any in existence. Start looking now; you never know your great Aunt Matilda might have one still stuck in her glory box. If you find one you may just become a millionaire. Those that do come onto the market are usually from 1904 or later. Probably rare enough for you to become rich, but not millionaire class.

I wish you luck I have not got an Aunt Matilda.

It didn’t take long for teddy bears to catch on and by 1906 they were all the rage, coming out with a plethora of colours and styles. Some bears even had embellishments such as electric eyes. The term “teddy bear” (without the apostrophe “s”) was first printed in Playthings Magazine’s October 1906 issue.

The current wave of collecting started in the mid-1960s, when toymaker Margaret Hutchings published Teddy Bears and How to make them, which included a brief history of the toy. In 1969, English actor Peter Bull published Bear with Me. The two books gave legitimacy to teddy bear collecting and brought closet arctophiles – ‘Those who collect Bears’ -- out into the open. Soon, the teddy bear became more than just a comforting toy for a child. It became a valuable collectable for adults.

I seriously believe that parents buy their children Teddy Bears for presents, and in the back of their secret mind, they are hoping that it or them will turn into collectable items of the future. One lady has bought five Teddy Bears at separate times. The name ‘CareFlight Teddy Bears’ is Australia’s National Road Motorist Association and they have sponsored the Teddy Bears for Many years and all the money goes to Our Largest Children’s Hospital Known as Westmead Children’s Hospital. “CareFlight” sell a huge number of Teddy Bears every year. Each having a different Name like Santa, Pilot, Nurse Doctor, Professor. Very, Very popular.

There some things I did not know

· Teddy Bear effect, the phenomenon where a passive listener appears to impart wisdom to a speaker without doing anything other than listening.

· A "teddy bear" is also a shot of vodka and Baileys Irish Cream.

I do know this

· Teddy Bears' Picnic, a children's party.

· Teddy Bears' Picnic, a movie.

A German teddy bear from around 1954.

The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. It is an enduring, traditional form of stuffed animal, often serving the purpose of comforting children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become expensive collector's items. Teddy bear collectors are known as arctophiles from the Greek words 'arcto' (bear) and 'philos' (lover).

Contents

• 1 History
• 2 Kinds of teddy bears
• 3 Museums
• 4 See also
• 5 Notes
• 6 References
• 7 External links

History

American educator Seymour Eaton wrote the children's book series The Roosevelt Bears,^[4] while composer John Bratton wrote "The Teddy Bear Two Step" music which with Jimmy Kennedy's lyrics became The Teddy Bear's Picnic song.^[5]

Please help improve this article by expanding this section.

See talk page for details. Please remove this message once the section has been expanded.

Kinds of teddy bears

1902 The Washington Post political cartoon that spawned the Teddy bear name.

Commercially made, mass produced teddy bears are predominantly made as toys for children. These bears have safety joints for attaching arms legs and heads. They must have securely fastened eyes that do not pose a choking hazard for small children. These "plush" bears must meet a rigid standard of construction in order to be marketed to children in the United States and in the European Union.

By contrast, Artist Bears are not mass produced and definitely not intended for small children. In fact, most carry a tag saying that "These bears are intended for an adult market of avid collectors. They are individually created by a whole host of artists around the world. Many of these artists design their own bears as well as making them by hand or stitching them up on home sewing machines. These bears are not mass marketed."

They are available for purchase through the individual artists, specialty shops, web sites, and at art shows, Teddy Bear shows and craft shows across the globe. These bears are almost always jointed with movable heads, arms and legs. The jointing systems to attach these appendages and heads are most often disk and screw or disk and cotter pin combinations but can be done with buttons, simple string, chain or any other method an enterprising artist may devise.

There are also companies that sell handmade collectible bears that can be purchased in stores or over the Internet. Some examples of such companies are Steiff and Original Parka Bear Company.

The "fur" from which these charming creatures are made is as varied and interesting as the bears themselves. Mohair, the fur shorn or combed from a breed of long haired goats, is woven into cloth, dyed and trimmed to produce a fascinating choice for any artist's palette. Alpaca teddy bears are made from the pelt of an alpaca because the fiber is too soft to weave. In addition to mohair and alpaca, there is a huge selection of "plush" or synthetic fur made for the teddy bear market. Both these types of fur are commercially produced.

10 modern day teddy bears of various types.

Some teddy bear artists specialize in the production of bears made from recycled materials. These artists haunt thrift stores, flea markets, garage sales and trash collection centers as well as their own and their families' basements and attics in search of forgotten treasures to be turned into a collector's dream. Old quilts, dresses, fur collars, coats and stoles as well as beaded bags and garments are quickly transformed into stunning teddy bears.

Some other teddy bear artists specialize in crochet bears made out of thread. They are called Thread Crochet Bears. For these bears artists do not use fabric; they make the fabric crocheting and at the same time make the bear. Thread Crochet Bears are fully jointed, miniature bears. Some are even micro, less than 1 inch tall. Thread crochet bears may be made out of crochet cotton thread, Perle cotton thread, Mohair thread, Punch thread, some thin fancy yarn, like eyelash, or any other fiber that can be crocheted.

Museums

The world's first Teddy Bear Museum was set up in Petersfield, Hampshire, England, in 1984. In 1990, a similar foundation was set up in Naples, Florida, United States. This was closed in 2005, and the bears sold by auction.

See also

• Stuffed animal
• Sudanese teddy bear blasphemy case
• Teddy scares
• I Am Your Gummy Bear

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Library Of Congress
2. ^ ^{a b c} Clay
3. ^ Teddy bear celebrates 100th birthday BBC, 2002-12-03
4. ^ GLCA
5. ^ Marc Gunn

References

• Marianne Clay. The History of the Teddy Bear. Retrieved on 2007-12-10.
• Teddy Bears. Library of Congress. Retrieved on 2007-12-10.
• Teddy Bear Picnic. Marc Gunn. Retrieved on 2007-12-10.
• Seymour Eaton. Greater Lansdowne Civic Association (GLCA) (2003). Retrieved on 2007-12-10.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Teddy bears

• The robotic 'Huggable' Teddy Bear project at M.I.T. iCampus
• Annual Teddy Bear Convention
• Teddy Bear Exhibition Korea Photo Gallery
• Good Bears of the World

Tatty Teddy Bear

Welcome to Teddy Bears

Merry Christmas to you from MrMarmalade

Give the gift that lasts a lifetime. Send a teddy bear today to show your appreciation or in celebration of an;

· Anniversary

· Birthday

· Engagement

· Get well

· Graduation

· New baby

· Thank-you

· Or just to say I Love You.

All these 3,345 words from two small episodes in MrMarmalade’s life, trivial I know, still triviality still takes my whim.

Dashing through the snow

On a one-horse open sleigh,

Over the fields we go,

Laughing all the way;

Bells on bob-tail ring,

making spirits bright,

What fun it is to ride and sing

A sleighing song tonight

Jingle bells, jingle bells,

jingle all the way!

O what fun it is to ride

In a one-horse open sleigh

A day or two ago,

I thought I'd take a ride,

And soon Miss Fanny Bright

Was seated by my side;

The horse was lean and lank;

Misfortune seemed his lot;

He got into a drifted bank,

And we, we got up sot.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,

Jingle all the way!

What fun it is to ride

In a one-horse open sleigh.

A day or two ago,

the story I must tell

I went out on the snow

And on my back I fell;

A gent was riding by

In a one-horse open sleigh,

He laughed as there

I sprawling lie,

But quickly drove away.

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,

Jingle all the way!

What fun it is to ride

In a one-horse open sleigh.

Now the ground is white

Go it while you're young,

Take the girls tonight

I LOVE MY TEDDY

If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise

if you go down to the woods today; you’d better go in disguise.

For every bear that ever there was, Will gather there for certain, because

Today's the day the Teddy Bears have their picnic.

Every Teddy Bear who's been good, Is sure of a treat today.

There's lots of marvelous things to eat, And wonderful games to play

Beneath the trees where nobody sees, They'll hide and seek as long as they please

'Cause that's the way the Teddy Bears have their picnic

If you go down to the woods today, you’d better not go alone

its lovely down in the woods today, But safer to stay at home.

For every bear that ever there was, Will gather there for certain, because

Today's the day the Teddy Bears have their picnic.

Picnic time for Teddy Bears, The little Teddy Bears are having a lovely time today

Watch them, catch them unawares, And see them picnic on their holiday.

See them gaily gad about, they love to play and shout;

they never have any cares;

at six o'clock their Mummies and Daddies, Will take them home to bed,

because they're tired little Teddy Bears.

Picnic time for Teddy Bears, The little Teddy Bears are having a lovely time today

Watch them, catch them unawares, And see them picnic on their holiday.

See them gaily gad about, they love to play and shout;

they never have any cares;

at six o'clock their Mummies and Daddies, Will take them home to bed,

because they're tired little Teddy Bears.

I LOVE MY TEDDY

Son 5: - Also took my fancy with Killer Sudoku CD Rom and 256 Page book, I will list that tonight and see how fast that sells. If you do not believe that Sudoku is sweeping the world I will give some notes from our own Hubbers.

Comments from your fellow HUBBERS

cpa says:

I love Sudoku, though as a CPA you might think I have an affinity for maths. In this case I agree with MrMarmalade that it has nothing to do with maths. It is an excellent way to work the brain.

Zsuzsy Bee says:

MrMarmalade! Our local Alzheimer society published an article not very long ago where it stated that Sudoku and crossword puzzles are a great preventive excercise that will keep the mind active. I can't remember how exactly they worded the write-up but it went something like this: ...our muscles and bones need exercise to stay nimble and so does the brain, these puzzles are Pilates for the brain...I just love Sudoku I try to do one a day along with my crossword puzzle in the newspaper with my morning coffee...

Great HUB

regards Zsuzsy

cgull8m says:

I love Sudoku; here is a good site I play online and very useful. It definitely helps our mind for sure. Great Hub.

http://www.menneske.no/sudoku/eng/

Isabella Snow says:

I've yet to try this - you've made me curious!

MrMarmalade says:

A friend has both told me this morning that if your mind is forgetting how to tie your shoe laces, Sudoku may help prolong the absence of memory. Here I was thinking it was just me making a reason up to puzzle at Sudoku

mqjeffrey says:

Great Hub... as a personal enemy of Math, I was surprised how much I love Sudoku!

Thank you

sukritha says:

Maths is my permanent Enemy. But after reading this, I think I might have to change my direction. Good one Again

Sukritha

vishnuprk says:

Its simply logic. But beware, u may get addicted to it

Marisa Wright says:

27 hours ago

I'm a "subscript notation" girl myself. Mind you, I had to buy a book to work out how to play it.

Experts now say the best thing to ward off Alzheimer’s is physical exercise that requires mental coordination (dancing, playing an instrument, racquet sports), but then again I can hardly do those on the train to work, can I?

Share it! — Rate it: up down [flag this hub]

Comments

RSS for comments on this Hub

Current Status: Approved

cpa says:

3 weeks ago

I love Sudoku, though as a CPA you might think I have an affinity for math. In this case I agree with Mr marmalade that it has nothing to do with math. It is an excellent way to work the brain.

Current Status: Approved

Zsuzsy Bee says:

3 weeks ago

MrMarmalade! Our local Alzheimer society published an article not very long ago where it stated that Sudoku and crossword puzzles are a great preventive excercise that will keep the mind active. I can't remember how exactly they worded the write-up but it went something like this: ...our muscles and bones need excercise to stay nimble and so does the brain, these puzzles are pilates for the brain...I just love Sudoku I try to do one a day along with my crossword puzzle in the newspaper with my morning coffee...

Great HUB

regards Zsuzsy

Current Status: Approved

cgull8m says:

3 weeks ago

I love Sudoku, here is a good site I play online and very useful. It definitely helps our mind for sure. Great Hub.

http://www.menneske.no/sudoku/eng/

Current Status: Approved

Isabella Snow says:

3 weeks ago

I've yet to try this - you've made me curious!

Current Status: Approved

I thank you both, One hub (see above to Zsuzsy Bee) plus a friend have both told me this morning that if your mind is forgetting how to tie your shoe laces, Sudoku may help prolong the absence of memory. Here I was thinking it was just me making a reason up to puzzle at Sudoku

Current Status: Approved

mqjeffrey says:

3 weeks ago

Great Hub... as a personal enemy of Math, I was surprised how much I love Sudoku!

Current Status: Approved

MrMarmalade says:

Current Status: Approved

sukritha says:

3 weeks ago

Maths is my permanant Enemy. But after reading this I think I may have to change my decision. Good one Again

Sukritha

Current Status: Approved

vishnuprk says:

3 weeks ago

Its simply logic. But beware, u may get addicted to it

Current Status: Approved

Marisa Wright says:

2 weeks ago

I'm a "subscript notation" girl myself. Mind you, I had to buy a book to work out how to play it.

Experts now say the best thing to ward off Alzheimers is physical exercise that requires mental coordination (dancing, playing an instrument, raquet sports), but then again I can hardly do those on the train to work, can I?

Current Status: Approved

MrMarmalade says:

2 weeks ago

The good thing about Sudoku, other than treating the brain to physical aggravation, you do not have to have a shower or bath after a game. Like one does with all those sports games.

Thank you

Current Status: Approved

MrMarmalade says:

2 weeks ago

PLEASE RATE THIS ACTIVITY:

AS SERIOUS.

AS FUN.

HELPFUL.

WILL IT HELP ALZHEIMERS?