As cute as many teddy bears are, they aren't going to cut it for the reason many people give them to their sweethearts, or their friends.
Teddy bears are not just for kids, many people love them because they reflect back to them a time of innocence, a time when they were more purely liberated from stress, working their life away, and living in chaos of most households.
The teddy bear however must have some element of personalization to be effective to the gift recipient. For a child it simply has to be cute, but even later in life when someone gives you a teddy bear it will most likely if possible be something that resembles that bear you so dearly cherished that it fell apart at the seems. That will be the bear style that will be the most powerful to you.
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For years the bear makers have been trying to figure out what people want in a teddy bear but because the very way people shop for them is as dynamic as life itself, there has always been a gap leading to the customer settling for something "close" to what they hoped to find- Not anymore.
Now you can assemble your own bear from stuffing to accessories, you can pick every aspect, every stitch of the bear out custom. When I say every stitch I mean you can pick the color of the thread, the shape of the bear, the type of stuffing it's filled with, eyes, nose, mouth, clothing, shoes, sandals, you can even fit him or her with boxers, t-shirts, hats, bandanas, watches, pagers, and much more. There are entire stores filled to the brim with just teddy bear stuff.
The beauty of this is now you CAN build a bear for ANYONE that is so personal they will bond with it instantly and remember you forever just for going to the trouble (they don't know you had a blast building the bear)! It is the most flattering gift ever.
Happy bear shopping!
Comments
they are great aren't they?
Oh so cute.. I love this.. always loved teddy bears.
Yea I remember those, nothing beat the original type teddy bear. You should so get a big teddy the next time you see one.
Thank you Katie, it's actually a brilliant example of TR's strength and tenacious spirit. They tried to bring him down but only invented the cutest toys, a security guard for kids during a time when things didn't feel so safe- brilliant!
I saw one of those huge, very soft, teddy bears around valentines day and meant to get one- they are so cool! (remember the my buddy and kid sister dolls from the 80'/90's? They tried but failed to rebrand the teddy haha...(now that song is stuck in my head!)...
thanks for commenting!
I remember my daughter doing a report on TR and was surprised to learn this was why and how the teddy bear came to be. Interesting, glad you shared this as many, I'm sure, don't know. Glad it turned out to be a positive as Teddy R. was a very significant part of our developing country. We have traveled far and wide with the one common thing being all the fun places to build your own bear. My daughters both adore teddy bears. You can't go wrong when it comes to teddy bears. In fact I'm setting in bed typing this leaning back near my very large teddy bear. My daughters brought me this teddy when I had an appendectomy years ago. It's been to the hospital twice since then as the girls brought it to me both time I've had other surgeries. My teddy sleeps with me every night and I can't imagine life without him now, he's a keeper. Great article.
How ironic is it that the "Teddy" bear was invented as a way to ridicule the man (TR) but became the most lovable and cool toy a kid (or adult, especially on valentines day) could want? It was also supposed to "shake" Theodore's self image/security and it had the Teddy effect (TR was unshakable, well other than dat der grizzly that started the whole thing).
Great stuff here, the loveable Teddy Bear is a trusted loyal friend for many a kid young and old, OK older :).
Thank you Tolovaj! My first teddy bear was bigger than I was :)
Great overview on one of most popular toys of all time. I still remember my firs teddy bear, he was filled with straw and his name was - Tedi:)