Bears Around the World

Most chidren like bear toys. And Teddy Bear is no longer a new concept for them. Teddy bears quickly became popular all over the world especially in the US where the name Teddy originated. Notably, France, Japan and Australia all began and continue to manufacture bears.

Ideal was the first company to make teddy bears in the United States. Its founder, Morris Michtom, is said to have taken his inspiration from the Clifford Berryman cartoon of Theodore Roosevelt failing to shoot a bear cub, to make his first bear. Ideal bears are characterised by their triangular shaped heads, and they have been producing the same style of bear for several decades.

Other well-known American companies include Knickerbocker, Applause, Gund and the North American Bear Co, famous for their unusual character bears of famous people. The younger teddy bear companies in the US, such as Dakin, Eden and Russ Berrie all manufacture their bears in the Far East.

French bears can be identified by their short bristle mohair, their simple jointing and their colourful ear linings. Although they are relatively easy to identify it is often difficult to say what company made them. Two of best known are M Pintel Fils and Fadap, both of whom ceased production in the 1970s. Other European companies like Berg in Austria were more successful and are still making bears today.

Australia is well known for producing soft toy versions of the koala. However, companies such as Joy Toys are also noted for making the more traditional bears. One feature common to Australian bears is a neck without a joint. In Japan, teddy bear manufacture has tended to focus on novelty and mechanical bears, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s.

British Bears

In the early days, British manufacturers copied the look of the German bears. Over the years however they have gradually changed, as designers began to experiment with different shapes and materials.

The first British bear was made by J K Farnell in 1906. Other early bears were made by W J Terry, Dean's Rag Book Co Ltd, Chad Valley and Chiltern. While early British bears copied the German look, later on they began to change - their bodies became fatter, their faces flatter and their arms and legs shorter. British makers also experimented with different materials.

Artificial silk plush was first used in the 1920s and sheepskin was popular for a while in the 1950s. Bears made by different companies developed their own characteristics. Chad Valley bears are instantly recognisable from their bulbous noses, which are often compared to lumps of coal. Early Farnell bears have webbed claw stitching, and Chiltern noses of the 1920s and 1930s have two long stitches going up at each end.

Bear production expanded after the second world war, and the existing market was joined by companies such as Plummer Wandless who specialised in sheepskin bears and Wendy Boston which became famous for producing the first machine-washable teddy bear. Despite the success of British bears, many early companies did not survive for long - some failed, and some were taken over by larger companies. W J Terry was out of business by the end of the 1930s, and Chiltern was taken over by Chad Valley which in turn was taken over by Palitoy. Today only two of the major teddy names are still making bears - Merrythought, founded in 1930 and Dean's. Although they still make traditional bears, these companies also produce many collectibles which are usually either copies of old bears or specially-designed commemorative or souvenir bears.

German Bears

Gebruder Bing had been making toys since the 1890s. It made its first teddy bear in 1907. The company was famous for its mechanical toys and soon introduced these elements into its bears. Although Bing made very high quality bears the company did not survive very long and went into receivership in 1932.

This bear, known as Ted, is golden mohair plush stuffed with wood wool which is made up of very fine wood shavings. The original eyes have been removed and brown wool stitching put in their place. This is a well travelled bear. Having been made in Germany it spent most of its life in Africa. It belonged to Patricia Brooks, who was born in Devon in 1911, but lived most of her life in Zimbabwe. She was given the bear when she was three years old. She connects the time it was given to her to with the departure of Arthur 'Bomber' Harris, to join the RAF just before the First World War. Harris was the manager of the farm in Zimbabwe owned by Patricia's first husband's family. The bear lived with Patricia in Zimbabwe and Zambia and also spent some time in the USA. Patricia heard about the V&A Museum of Childhood on a BBC World Service radio broadcast and donated her bear in 1998.

Queen Victoria Bear

This bear is dressed as Queen Victoria. She was made as a limited edition in 2001 to commemorate the 100th year anniversary of Queen Victoria's death. She is dressed in the mourning clothes the Queen might have worn after the death of her husband, Prince Albert. She is wearing a black cap with a black lace mantilla attached and a shawl also of black lace. The shawl fastens with a silver brooch.

This bear is made by one of two Hermann teddy bear companies, founded by the children of Johann Hermann who started making wooden toys in about 1907. Max Hermann joined his brother and sister, Arthur and Adelheid in their bear making business in 1913. He set up his own company in 1920, founding a family dynasty that is now Hermann-Spielwaren GmgH. The other bear company was founded by Bernard Hermann, whose descendants still run Gebrüder Hermann.