Need Teddy Bear Identification
This is a teddy bear that a family member owned back in the 1950's but I don't know if the bear might be older than that? I looked online for anything that matched it, and couldn't find any close matches at all. It stands 9 inches tall, has a red felt tongue, a black felt nose, with dark brown ears, and back but lighter yellowish front. The legs are short and stumpy. There is a back seam. Not sure if it's mohair or not? It's very stiff/solid so whatever it's filled with is not soft/squishy, or has hardened over time. The eyes are amber color. Any help appreciated!
7 comments
marnotom!
·8 months agoI can't be much more help here other than giving this thread a little nudge, but I will mention that I still have my childhood teddy bear that dates back to probably the mid-60s but it's not in nearly as good condition as yours thanks to a rather brutal date with a washing machine and being attacked or loved by a cat. Its construction is similar to the one you have, though the fur and coloring are different. The most significant thing the two bears have in common are the eyes, and I'm thinking that may be a clue to the identity of the manufacturer.
I'm pretty sure that the bear was a present from a relative in the UK, so you may want to post your query on one of the UK boards to see if anyone there has more information that I do. Keep us posted!
vintagerama
OP8 months agoThanks so much for your post about the bear! I will maybe post in a UK board and see if it looks familiar to anyone. I know for certain my relative had it in the late 50's and possibly the very early 60's, like 61 or so. I don't know if it was purchased new at that time or if they got it from some other person who had it in an earlier year. If they purchased it new, it would have been in California, U.SA. (not UK). However, since I don't know for certain if the bear was new at time of acquisition, its past history might be unknown. And yes, other than some light soil/wear on the bear, it is in quite good condition for having been played with by a child decades ago! So far, I haven't been able to match it with anything else online, but as you say, maybe the eyes are unique enough that it might give a clue? thanks again!
jameshen1
·8 months agoGoing along with the British theme, this is what Google Lens had to say:
vintagerama
OP8 months agothanks so much for the further identification of the bear. I will look futher into the idea that it might be British made. That would be really interesting if it turns out to be made in the UK because I always assumed it was an American made bear but as indicated, I don't know where the bear was originally acquired or passed down to the famly member who was born and raised in California USA. Thanks again!
vintagerama
OP8 months agohere's a few somewhat better photos taken with my camera ....
mudshark61369
·8 months ago@vintagerama ,
Try opening the link below to see if you can identify the bear.
https://www.totallyteddybears.com/teddy-bear-identification.html#sthash.AbcYUIxu.dpbs
FYI, to take clearer photos with a phone or camera, instead of moving closer to an object, move the phone/camera back a bit and use its zoom feature.
vintagerama
OP8 months agothanks for the link, i will check it out. I scanned the teddy bear on my scanner because sometimes it does a better job than my camera on specific close up areas like the nose and the tongue which I wanted people to see as clearly as possible. But I will take some regular photos and post them also. thanks again!