Introducting David – A Deans Rag Book Bear

Yesterday I had a really great time working on a lovely little bear named David 🙂

David, a sad old (late 1930s – early 1940s) Deans Rag Book teddy, came to me in flurry of bears and sat patiently in a box with the company of some mothballs waiting to be repaired. I wasn’t very taken with David when I first met him, some bears you just fall in love with, David was not one of those. There wasn’t much wrong with David, he was blind,  his joints were very smooth apart from one of his legs which was a little stiff.  His squeaker was long gone, in places his fur was a little bald, but then, even that isn’t much of a problem..yup, David wasn’t a challenge and therefore, he could patiently wait in line and I would get to him later after working on some of the more broken bears.

What’s that I hear you say? “Poor David“, yes, you are right, poor sad forgotten David bear, I am a horrid bear sometimes ….

Now I have been REALLY busy with a huge amount of bears to fix, photograph, dress and list online ready to sell. I’m hand-making things for each of them and all of this is taking ages, I haven’t actually had much bear-repair time but then, out of nowhere, his little face just popped into my head and I knew it was time…D-A-V-I-D.

Right away I stopped what I was doing, cleared a space beside me and went to get him from his little box..Yes, it was time.

Quick as a flash I knitted up a little cable scarf in deep red and then a green waistcoat fastened with an old leather button, I dug about in ‘Edward’s Bear Bits’ basket and I found some 30s glass eyes and attached them to his cute little head…

….Once dressed and able to see, David went from a raggedy old sadsack to a stunning little boy. His expression is kind, loving and funny, he has a naughty little sideways smile and his eyes are gentle, he looks…happy 🙂

I am really pleased with how he turned out and so annoyed with myself for not taking any pictures of him before his restoration. This is the only picture I have of him before and it is hard to see him..sorry about that

David is now listed on Ebay for sale, I am not worried about what money he makes, just very much hope that he finds a kind and loving home to live out his days.

Thanks for reading.

Your friend,

Edward xx

Clarence The Golly

I think there is something still a little taboo about the Golly, don’t you?

I am not sure if Florence Kate Upton meant for the Golly to be an offensive character when she first thought him up in 1894  but somehow Gollys have always been a little awkward as a child’s toy.

I grew up (as many of us did) with the image of a Golly on the Robinson’s jam and marmalade jars and thought no more of it. I had no idea what it was all about as a child, I just thought it was a friendly, smiling little man on the side of a jar and collected the little pin badges and went on my merry way.

The sad fact is, since the time of the minstrels, the Golly (or Golliwog as Florence Kate Upton called it) was seen as a character to look down upon or laugh at, to mock and imitate cruelly. Even Enid Blyton managed to stick the boot in where dear Golly was concerned, but then, if you know about what she was really like, that probably comes as no surprise.

Over time the term ‘Golliwog’ or ‘Wog’ became a standard racist throw-away comment and no one batted an eyelid. Shameful.

Thankfully by the right-on seventies, people had sorted it out a little and were at least TRYING to stop being so closed-minded and to do away with previous generations prejudices, and that is about the time our little friend Golly began to vanish into the ether.

Nowadays you would be hard-pushed to find a toy company manufacturing a Golly (and a good job too as they have no place in the multi-cultrual Britain of today) however, people do still collect the very old Gollys – hopefully as a reminder of how far we have come.

Perhaps because of the taboo and the sheer amount of time gone by, you no longer see a very old Golly for sale anywhere and that is precisely why, when I saw a very old one come up for auction in amongst a cardboard box of mid-century teddy bears I snapped it up!

Clarence is a beautiful example of a very early Golly, he is from around 1915 and is just fab. He has hair made of ostrich feathers and a beautiful, if somewhat battered blue silk jacket with faded red ruffles around the edge. He once would’ve had a pair of red silk trousers and a red silk bow but they have been lost to the sands of time.

He has the most amazing endearing face with lively boot-button eyes, I just adore him. He is the kind of doll that should never be restored and although that is the main point of my job here at Edward’s Care Home For Elderly Bears I haven’t the heart to change a jot about him.

I have listed him on Ebay today and if he doesn’t reach the reserve I may be forced to keep him – shame!

Thanks for taking the time to read all about Clarence,

Edward x

Introducing …Bertie

I can honestly say, with great feeling, that it is a lovely thing to be lucky enough to own an elderly bear. I find myself falling slowly in love with each and every one.. yes, sometimes it is hard to send them on their way to their new, loving homes but often it’s a joy to share the feelings they bring.

One of the lovely things about my ‘job’ is that sometimes I get to keep the bears for a little longer for the purpose of ………..modelling!

As part of my elderly bear services, I make bear clothes. I knit and sew and try to create little outfits that suit each individual bear’s age, overall appearance and personality. I feel the personality bit is probably the most important as each bear has its own expression, body shape and look, just like people I suppose!

So the first bear I would like to introduce to you is Bertie.

Bertie is my first model, although he looks like a small bear he is in fact quite a tall chap at 13 inches tall! As you can see he is very grubby and he has spent the last week in a small box with mothballs as he was covered in bugs – bad luck Bertie!

Today Bertie will be having a nice warm bath (not in the bath mind you, perhaps I should say a ‘wipe’) to remove all his bugs..next he will be cleaned up, repaired, combed and then he will have a lovely outfit made for him.

I believe Bertie is a sweet little bear dating from around 1944. Although I am a big teddy fan I am not always the best at knowing bear makers (sometimes this is part of the fun!) and in Bertie’s case his maker is a bit of a mystery. Despite trawling through my MANY reference books (an entire shelf!) I can’t pin him down as any particular make. Possibly this has something to do with his mouth being ‘repaired’ at some point in the past. Although this repair isn’t the best, I think it actually gives him a very sweet endearing expression so I won’t be changing it (which isn’t at all like me!)

Perhaps you can help me identify him, here are the clues:

1. He has a wood wool stuffed body
2. He has amber glass eyes
3. A rolled leather nose
4. He has a static head
5. Bertie has movable arms and legs
6. He has card-lined feet
7. Bertie’s got pointy tips of toes
8. A snubby up-turned nose
9. He has 3 claws on his hands and feet
10. He has been stuffed and sewn up at the back
11. He stands 13 inches high.

I would love to hear from you if you have any clues 🙂

Once Bertie has been cleaned and has done a little bit of modelling, he will be for sale..Please email edwardscarehomeforelderlybears@hotmail.com if you are interested in reserving Bertie for future purchase – part payments are accepted.

Thanks for taking the time to visit me today,

Edward x

What makes us love bears? OR For the love of bears

Many times recently the people around me have raised an eyebrow at me when I discuss my bears..I am not so sure I like this. You see I am an old bear myself, my stuffing is a little rounder than it once was, my fur a little faded. I would hate to think that no one would love me! So I hunt about and find these sad forlorn little things and take them home and then this happens….

Some people look at me as if to say:

‘Why Edward Bear, you are far too OLD to be interested in collecting copious amounts of teddy bears, is there something wrong with you?’

‘Umm, Edward Bear, you paid HOW MUCH for that crappy looking old rag-taggedy bit of fabric!? You say that is worth actual money?!’

‘I mean it is nice that you like to do this Edward Bear, but can you just explain it to me so I can try and get it?’

And so on, yes..the looks get to me, the comments make me feel weird about myself but then, on the day when the postman (or lady in my case) knocks on the door and hands me this little package containing god knows what, I know, the little face inside, the one that is about to be revealed to me..that face, will be worth it.

I have opened packages of bears that have fallen apart in my hands, I have unleashed old bears that STANK to high heaven (yes, people who smoke near bears…I am talking about you!) I have opened bears who have limbs hanging off/missing and stuffing falling out, no eyes, missing ears, missing bodies! I have seen it (almost) all, and yet I still carry on bringing those stinking old beasties home! – I love them all.

I do re-home most of these old bears. I wash them and sew up their holes, re-fill their insides and clean their little eyes. I clothe them (if they want clothes and then, after a kiss on the nose, I point them in the direction of their new homes – it feels good.

(Vi – an old friend of mine, waiting for a little restoration love)

So what does make us (arctophiles) love teddy bears? A lady recently told me that whenever she sees an old toy she had as a child she has to buy it. Another man who donated a teddy to me told me all about the fun and friendship he and his brother had enjoyed with his bear and how they had played cowboys and Indians. He showed me a photograph of them all in bed in the 1940s (wartime) think of the comfort teddy must have provided those boys.

I think we love them because they remind us of happier times, times of comfort, friendship and love. You see, I don’t think anyone can say what makes all bear collectors like bears, for me I like ’em battered and bruised, you may like them shiny and new. I like to know as much as I can about each one, just think about all the stories they could tell.

In the grand scale of things it doesn’t really matter I suppose, the thing that does matter is that they appeal to you. Just like Teddy Roosevelt, we look into their sweet little faces, we melt a little and we want to save them..perhaps you could save one too?

Edward x