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| 5th September 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 XE.com Personal Currency Assistant ... Click here for Currency Exchange details  Several years ago there was a television game show that was aimed at challenging individual contestants knowledge and ability in a particular field of their own choice. The name of this show escapes us, but I am certain that many will remember viewing it, and recall many of the different challenges that people had to face. One such contestant, a man in his early thirties I believe, had a skill based in the world of the Arctophile. He claimed to be able to name the manufacturers of some fifty teddy bears, along with their eras and model names, from being able to view only the nose stitching of each of the bears. Now this is no mean achievement in itself, and the man in question managed to identify every single nose and associate it with the original production. This single example of expert knowledge in a particular field, underlines something we have mentioned on many occasions, and that is that original nose features can very often assist in immediate identification of an old bear. The examples shown on the show were perfect originals, which is a luxury indeed. Very often recognising that the stitching is complete or original can be something that only the trained eye can detect. The experienced contestant was every bit an expert in his field .....  Tara Toys had a ready made nose stitching style that was easily recognised from 1953, when the first productions left the factory in Elly Bay, County Mayo in that year. The inverted black triangle, with it's two outer bracket shaped dropped stitches emanting from the top outer edges, soon became synonimous with high quality bears, as well as bears with great character and charm. Marilyn is a product of the earliest years of 1953 or 1954. She is very much of the styles of this period, and has an added bonus .... She is musical! Her melodic notes will prove extremely popular on a Birthday occasion, because "Happy Birthday" is her tune, and the obvious reference that the song contains easily led to this little Tara Ladie's name. The original white mohair covering has become slightly discoloured with age, but the coverage is quite good, considering the handling over the years. The main area of loss is immediately surrounding the music box keywind, and this is very understandable. Marilyn's typically square Tara head shape is filled with a mixture of excelsior and soft fill, and carries all the original features, including that nose design and glass eyes that confirm early period Tara. All remaining areas are soft filled, with well proportioned body, long, curved and tapered arms, and shapely legs with well defined feet. All paw pads are the original rexine, and come with varying degrees of wear to this very fragile finished material. On the outer side edge of the right foot can be seen the partial remains of the original "Made in the Republic of Ireland" label. This tiny fragment means that this little Lady has all her original features, albeit with some loss. But what a beautiful bear this is to have suvived so many birthdays .... She is such an ideal present for anyone.... Even yourself!  Sheema is from the era that arguably produced some of the best bears to leave the shop floor of this brilliant American Toy Company. The inimitable style and colouring of these early war years bruins was extremely popular at the time, and has maintained that popularity with a whole new generation since then. Representing one of Knickerbocker's primary designs during the 1940s, Sheema, and bears like him provided quality products at a time of otherwise material shortage.  The rich cinnamon coloured, silky mohair still maintains an excellent covering today, despite a bald patch on the bear's back. This loss appears to have been caused by the then owner's thumb attempting to squeeze the now inoperative squeaker. The excelsior filled, round shaped head carries those oversized ears on the corners and has glass eyes set in the lower half, just above the inset beige, velveteen muzzle. This latter feature is so typically Knickerbocker and gives their bears a unique quirkiness, that the ears emphasise, which is extremely appealing and popular. Other original features are the vertically stitched nose, medium feltrum and almost indifferent mouth shape. Legs are short, but the arms come long and curved, both accommodating paw pads in good condition and made from the same beige velveteen as the muzzle. Body filling is kapok, whilst the limbs have a mixture of kapok and possibly a sub type material near to the joints. Knickerbockers might not have the class of Steiff and other leading producers, but what they do have is a uniqueness that will see them compete at the highest vintage levels before too long. Sheema is certainly a bear who can compete with the best for all round appeal and charisma .... something that very few vintage bears possess in honest quantities. If you look carefully at those pictures of him .... you will hear him talking right back to you ..... Internally, Sheema contains excelsior to his head and early kapok to the limbs and body, where an inoperative squeaker lies within. All that this little chap asks for is a loving new home, where he may sit and watch you type away, just like he is doing with me right now.  In keeping with the majority of teddy bear producers at the time, the post WW2 years saw Chad Valley literally having to 'cut their cloth accordingly' with bear making materials used. Certainly, the shortage of supplies that major wartime brought about, was in direct contrast to the demand at that time. Young children, many of whom had appreciated the comforts received from their furry friends during the previous darker days and nights, swelled the growing queues for replacements or additions to creations that gave great joy, as well as much needed security.  After 1945 Chad Valley designers were given the task of creating their previously highly popular brand to be in keeping with the austerity of the period. The generous proportions usually afforded pre-war bears made way for shorter, thinner and much less bulky productions that at first were almost unrecognisable as mainstream Chad Valley. The recipients of this new breed of teddy bears, the very young, were just overjoyed to see the creations. Older members of society were equally pleased that, despite the proportions changing, the high quality and standards were still being met. Mulberry is very much one of the new post war breed of Chad Valley. The shorter arms and legs, thinner, smaller head, all attached to a much less plump, kapok filled body, with a now inoperative squeaker, are all clear indications of the original production era. With the general size reductions came smaller ears cupped, as ever, across the facial seams, and a minuscule feltrum coupled with a nonplussed mouth. The one feature that did receive post-war expansion in any form, was the coal shaped nose. The former slightly ovular muzzle pronouncement was extended at the sides, creating an even clearer identity to Chad Valley bears. Mulberry still retains his underarm blue label. This places him in the 1950 bracket, just prior to another period of feature changes. His blond mohair still retains a majority of the original volume and colouring, having thinning and loss to the facial area in the main. Original velvet paw pads show no holing or repair work, just a little age wear. Glass eyes that have always peered from behind their facial mohair surrounds give the final overall appearance, creating 14" of wonderful cuteness.  Post WW2 teddy bear manufacturing was a period of extremes. The immediate period, the late 1940s saw a huge demand from a public requiring the comfort and love that were so desperately needed, after years of war and the inaccessibility to 'creature comforts'. In the 1950s, as the initial demand waned a little, the major producers had to, once again, change their designs and overall appearances to maintain their livelihoods. Chiltern introduced a bear on a bike, one of many novel changes, before the safety aspect of bear productions were called into question. Safety eyes and noses came into being in 1957, and were slowly taken up by the industry as a whole.  Chiltern utilised a plastic nose from their earlier dog productions, and began using this feature on their bears in 1958. In the same year the company ceased using rexine as a paw pad material. Safety eyes came into being in the latter period of this same year, after a plastic prototype of connectively stitched set of eyes were used for a very short time in the early months. Amazingly, beautiful little Tweenie Bow carries the dog nose, rexine paw pads and the early 1958 plastic stitched eyes. This narrows her production down to just a few months of that year, and can be further confirmed through information received from her previous owner. Bought in the late 50s, Tweenie was well loved and traveled the world with her young adopter, before the adoption period ended and this adorable little bear arrived on our doorstep. The original blonde mohair has much thinning and loss, although there is still just under half the original volume remaining. Rexine was always viewed as a material with an unstable finish, that would deteriorate in a relatively short period of time, and leave the backing cloth as evidence of it's existence. Tweenie's paw pads are all in a state where the covering finish has broken down and left the backs with just a thin skin of the surface remaining. Apart from this there is no holing. Internally, the filling is excelsior to the head, whilst kapok fills the limbs and body. An inoperative squeaker is supported in this latter area. There is only one blemish to speak of, on this otherwise all original bear, and this comes in the form of an ink blot, rather like a beauty spot on Tweenie's face. This is situated on the seam between the dog nose and her right eye. We have been unable to remove this with cleaning, but do not believe that it detracts from the overall appearance. In fact, if anything, this somewhat faded feature makes the bear instantly recognisable. It cannot be emphasised enough, just how cuddly and gorgeous this little lady is. She has the most appealing of smiles, indicating that she has seen so many amazing sights on her world travels and is happy with her life. All she now requires, is a loving home, with an owner who is worldly wise. |
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