Teddy B - William Simpson Teddy Bear Collection

Teddy B - William Simpson Teddy Bear Collection

Teddy bear, 'Teddy B' made in Indonesia for the Dottie M Ayers Co. Baltimore, trading as The Calico Teddy, brown fabric, swivel head and jointed limbs, open mouth with pink tongue, stitched label at lower back with above details, also 'A Collectible Teddy 'Not a Toy'', cream cotton dungarees with 'Teddy B' embroidered in red on bib, small suitcase shaped label in plastic bag attached to dungarees: shows No. 198B of a limited edition of 2000, plus bear illustrations and verse, blue badge pinned to dungarees showing a bear's head and 'Teddy B, 1999'.

Mr Simpson's note reads: Acquired in 1999 through Sue Pearson of Brighton.. They are a production of Dotie M Ayres Company in the United States and are representations of the Roosevelt Bears which featured in the stories in the American Press in about 1904. Representations of Bears at this time had not been fully anthropomorphised and so the Bears are shown with open mouths. The Bears were received with their travelling trunk for their originals were featured as travelling, adventurous bears and they brought with them a booklet containing a re-print of the early stories of the venturesome pair. Sue Pearson advised me that these two Bears were the first to be sold in the Country.

Teddy B sat facing forward
Teddy B and Teddy G with travel box