Bear Essentials & Silver Bear Centre

We love to get feed back from our customers especially if it is such a nice one and we like to share it with you. We hope it assures you as well that we will look after your precious teddy bear and restore him to his own natural self as much as possible.

Here is Mary’s comment: Anke, Our trust was rewarded when we placed my late mother’s 90 year old ‘Big Ted’ with Bear Essentials for restoration recently. I gather he was the largest bear ever treated by the team? You did a fantastic job in keeping his old features (eyes and nose) while replacing all his fur and my daughter was amazed when he appeared as a gift for her on Christmas Day – this investment will make sure this new/old bear takes pride of place within the family – his days of being disguarded in the attic are over. Many, many thanks for your friendly professionalism – Mary

My first bear is now past his mid 50’s and has worn well even though he was hugely loved. He has been re-stuffed and wears my brother’s baby clothes (they are now grown man).I first heard of Anke and her Bear Making Centre in Cavan a few years ago and I looked forward to going there and make my own teddy bear. I thoroughly enjoyed my day session there and this was my first of many bear making times with Anke. I have since attended each year our teddy bear making week in An Grianan. Made about 10 bears including a panda and polar bear.

You and your friends can vote for this image & story after the 5th of November – vote Mariah Cooney

The entry with the most votes is going to adopt teddy Freezy for Christmas and will give him a new home forever after.

Teddy Bears come in all shapes and sizes. It doesn’t really count how they look like to me. What matters is how they appear to you or what they signify for you. It has something to do with feelings, either the situation you were in when you bought the bear (if you felt happy or sad) or the significance of the relationship to the person who gave the teddy to you (a boyfriend, child, parent, grandparent….).

Isn’t that why we love this special teddy bear so much?
From bears who visit our teddy bear hospital we know how much they mean to their owners. They have been part of their life for some time. They have been going on a journey with them through good and not so good times and some of them desperately need a bit of a facelift to carry on.
Some have been loved, some have been neglected some been insured by a dog but they all have a momentous relationship with their owner.

This is one of the reasons why so many people buy real mohair teddy bears nowadays. We have seen on shows like the Antique Road Show how much a famous old Steiff teddy bear could be worth. If we want to give a present to someone we usually like to make that present last a long time. Mohair teddy bears, made from the hair of the Angora goat are so durable they can last not just one generation but many.

I wish I still had a teddy bear from my mum or dad.
We like to encourage you to get out your favorite teddy bear and think what he means to you.
May be you like to share your story with us, we are looking forward to hear from you.

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.