Thursday, September 17, 2009

Antique American Teddy Bears

Here are two of my favorite bears, both American made. The larger is a 20 inch Ideal bear circa 1904 - 1906, while the smaller is circa 1903-1904. The little guy wears an original Teddy Roosevelt campaign pin that his first owner got during the president's whistle-stop tour. This provenance makes him rather smug; you can see how he holds his nose in the air! His larger friend is a beautiful creamy Ideal with a cinnamon colored nose and a crazy big hump: see the next pic for a view. I call him "Mr. Slumpy."


3 comments:

  1. So, you call him Mr. Slumpy. This is a very common trait of early Ideal Teddy's. The Michtoms gave these bears a neck,(see the Smithsonian Bear) picture and as time went by the stuffing settled in their neck because of the big, round joint the Michtoms put in their neck, causing their necks to sag and tilt. My old Teddy, does this as well. Glad to see all your Old Teddy's.

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  2. You're right: I just looked, and Mr. Slumpy has a GIGANTIC neck joint. Sounds like we have long lost twin bears!

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  3. Knock knock! Hello Tracy. Found you doing some google searching :) I noticed your sweet larger bear that resembles one of my precious bears. Can you help me date and tell me if he is also an ideal toy co bear? Hope to post some photos in near future.

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