Bear Essentials & Silver Bear Centre

We just like to start the new year to answer some of the questions our customers email us before they bring or send a teddy bear to us for restoration.
We get a lot of inquiries about “sad looking” or almost “beyond repair” teddy bears, animals or indeed baby comforters. The good new is that we never had to send a bear home without making him look better or preserve him in someway for future generations. We usually run one teddy bear clinic per week. The other days of the week we are busy designing teddies or baby items for our customers or run workshops here in the Silver Bear Centre.
First of all we cannot give any quotations via phone or email. Even if you send us an image we not see the condition of the teddy bear from all angles. You bring your bear personally to us or send him via mail (track & trace) to us at Bear Essentials Teddy Bear Hospital, Tirnawannagh, Bawnboy, Co,Cavan, Ireland. As soon as your precious bear arrives we will ring you to ensure that he arrived safely and to talk about what you like to get done. Than we can give you a quotation which is usually the final cost of restoration.
What does happen when a new patient arrives at Bear Essentials teddy bear hospital?

A box arrives via courier or post. Must say- we are always excited when a new patient arrives.We unpack him and listen to his story. Most bears come with a story or history written down by their owners. Some are heart braking reports of lost loved ones or about the cause of the bears state at the time of arrival. Would you believe that one of our most loved pets – our dog – is quite often the course of old teds destruction?
After we ring the owner and the bear is admitted into our hospital book, the bear goes into his own basket where he stays until he is ready to be send home again. Usually no teddy bear has to stay longer than one or two weeks. Just at busy times when we are fully booked or have to order special accessories it might be an extra week of waiting. Repairs on teddy bear can range from sewing seams, attaching new eyes or stitching new noses to stuffing them, replacing paws or re-designing a total new bear. If we get a teddy bear who belongs to a small child we like to replace missing fur with material the child already loves. This could be a piece of  their own clothing or something mum has at home.
The bear you see here is actually a new bear James – one of the Charlie Bears – he got an outfit made of grannies old night dress.

In general we like to keep as much of  Teddy’s old image & appeal as possible because that is quite often the reason why he is so loved in the first place.

I will write a bit more about our teddy bear clinic tomorrow. I hope you enjoy reading about it.

The teddy bear- charming, loyal and cuddly- is probably one of the most enduring treasures of childhood. First produced in 1902 in Germany by Steiff, he (the bear) was designed as the boy’s alternative to the doll. “Friend Petz” was accepted because of his loving and sincere characteristics.
Almost at the same time a teddy bear was created in America and gained popularity there as well.
The teddy bear was named after “Teddy”- Theodore Roosevelt who was the 26th President of the United States.

The Comforting Teddy Bear

Various professionals depend upon the ability of the teddy bear to lend an air of warmth and security to an intimidating situation.
Doctors rely upon teddies for explaining, reassuring or comforting children; deaf children can often be reached by sign language when it is conveyed through a teddy bear.
Many parents can recall using the teddy bear to help their small children overcome a seemingly unsolvable problem for instants a temper tantrum.
I used a teddy, with my unrecognisable voice, to speak to my daughter who woke up at night screaming. Teddy’s talking made her listening & laugh and she quite happily went back to sleep.

The power of the teddy bear to comfort often lasts  beyond childhood and is reflected in the mascot or talisman that  goes everywhere with his owner, providing moral support during examination or rallies athletes’ to higher level of play.
Quiet often we give a teddy bear as a first gift to someone we have fallen in love with.

The Relationship

The relationship between teddy bears and their owners is reciprocal; people take care of their bears but feel that their bears take care of them. The bond between owner and bear begins when the teddy was first received and lasts through all ups and downs of their owner’s life. Those teddy bears are often been passed on to children, grandchildren or close friends.
Well loved and  far travelled teddy bears end up with us at Bear Essentials Teddy Bear Hospital to be restored and t be fit to last another life time. Some bears are over 50 years old. Some are almost beyond repair but still with a bit of new material and with keeping some of his old, charming features they all get a new lease of life.

The Collector Teddy Bear

Collectors recognize the classic teddy bear by its well-defined features, unique personality and quality of construction.
Bears made from antique plush or mohair with high grade felt, velvet or suede paws are among the most valued. Jointed legs, arms and head are also important.
Black boot-button eyes are hallmarks of the classic teddy bear as well as the embroidered black nose & mouth.
The stuffing should be also of high quality pellets, superfine wood wool, sheep wool or kapok (a natural material from a kapok tree).
Some bears have been given voices through the installation of a growling mechanism.

Who would have thought that the craze for teddy bears would be as popular today or even more fashionable as it was over 100 years ago?

Nowadays you not only have the choice to purchase a teddy bear from a companies or shop but be fortunate to pick up your own personalized teddy bear by a private Bear Artist. This bear might be completed as a small limited edition or even a one-off limited edition that is just looking for you.

All of Anke’s teddy bears are one off limited editions, but some belong to special collections who are similar in design for example “Lakeland Bears” or “Little Rascals”.

To all our readers we like you to bear in mind that each teddy bear takes on his own identity from the artist who created him and who trusts that the bear be valued for his unique design, the quality of materials and its potential to becoming a lifetime friend for its owner.