Teddy Bears as Gifts

Valentine's Day is only a week away and some men may have not yet decided what gift to get for their Valentine. May I suggest a Teddy bear. Teddy bears are a very popular gift-giving item. You just can’t seem to go wrong with a teddy bear.  With so many different types of teddy bears to choose from, there is something everyone likes, boys, girls, babies and adults love them. 

You can get a teddy bear for someone just to show them that you love them. This is probably one of the biggest reasons teddy bears sell so well on Valentine’s day. They are big, soft, cuddly and ready for a hug.  No matter what it seems like the person giving the bear away gets one too. 

Children love teddy bears too, it doesn’t matter if they get the same bear twice, they’ll just say they’ve got twins.  Many children look at a teddy bear as a security item; they know that the teddy bear won’t let anyone hurt them during the night. When you give a child teddy bear as a gift, you are giving them the ability to sleep through the night. The child just knows it means you love them.

Teddy bears make for great gift ideas or bribes when you are trying to get your child potty trained. Tell your child that once he/she has learned how to use the potty chair they can go to the store to get themselves their very own teddy. Be careful though, they may want to make their very own bear. 

If you are planning on hosting a party, teddy bears are a great baggie gift. Go to your local dollar store and pick up a couple. You may even want to try making wax dipped teddy bears as a prize for one or two games. Whatever the event is, teddy bears are great to pass out. 

Inviting Your Teddy Bears for Tea

Children, both boys and girls, love parties and when my children were young, we had many tea parties. As a grandparent or a parent, perhaps planning a Tea Party might be a fun activity to have with your children.

The first thing you need to do is make a list of all the people you are planning to invite. Help your child with this but remember, kids, love to do this. Letting them decide on who gets to come to their teddy bears’ tea party will make them feel very grown-up and in charge. 

If you are helping your child or grandchild to plan this tea party try having a teddy bear themed one. Simply invite everyone to bring along their favourite teddy bears for an afternoon tea party. Tea parties are a lot of fun and everyone can take part.

Try creating your very own invitations by cutting the paper into a teddy bear shape. Make sure you let everyone know that they must bring their teddy bear. In case someone forgets, you may want to have a few teddy bears handy.

Put a tablecloth on the table you’ll be using and try to find a few teddy bear decorations. A large teddy bear in the centre of the table would make a great centrepiece and the kids will love it. Have a nameplate for each child and their guest and don’t forget that Teddy needs to drink too. Remember teddy bears don’t really drink, make sure you don’t put anything in their cups or a child may try it.

As soon as everyone arrives you can have them all place their teddy bears in the chairs and begin with games. Teddy Bear- Teddy Bear is a fun game to play, pin the tail, For the pin the tail you may want to draw your own giant teddy bear and have the kids pin the bee on the nose. Let the kids have a fun time and then invite them over to the table for tea.

Make sure you have plenty of finger sandwiches for everyone. You don’t need anything fancy, just slice up a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches into fours. Milky tea is the perfect type to go with a teddy bears’ tea party and don’t forget the dessert. What bear doesn’t like sweets?

Teddy Bear Books You Should Have

If you like teddy bears, then there are three teddy bear books that you should have on your shelf.  These three children’s books will entertain both young and old and teach you a bit about teddy bears. There is something for everyone to learn hidden inside these pages.    

The Teddy Bears’ Picnic by Jimmy Kennedy- This books stems from the song, “Teddy Bears’ Picnic” by  John Bratton in 1907.  The teddy bear song was the first song to ever mention a teddy bear in it. These cute, teddy bears will try to schedule a picnic and as they scroll through the park they‘ll run into other teddy bear families. The book is written much like the song and the pictures are full of activity and colour. If you don’t get it for the book, you can always pick it up because of history.   

Famous Bears & Friends: One Hundred Years of Teddy Bear stories and Poems by Janet Coleman-  This is a wonderful collection of stories, inside you’ll read about how the teddy got his name. Or maybe you’ll discover who really produced the first teddy bear.  There are many new legends about teddy bears that you’ll come across that’ll surely spark your interest. The book is short, which is perfect for little ears that don’t like to sit too long. If you know someone that loves teddy bears, get this book. 

The Legend of the Teddy Bear by Frank Murphy- Murphy will captivate your children with a fun story, while at the same time teach them a bit about history. Even adults will love to read about how the teddy bear got its name. 

If you’ve never heard of these books before, chances are you are missing out. Get up to the store and get yourself a little book on teddy bear history. 

Fictional Teddy Bears

I was reviewing pictures and came across a picture of my grandson with his favourite teddy bear, and it got me thinking about Teddy Bears. 

Fictional teddy bears have been around longer than any of us and have a very dear part in all of our memories. From our very own teddy bears to those fictional ones we watched every morning, there is always something we remember about them. There were many cartoons that were based on teddy bears from Winnie the Pooh to The Berenstein Bears.  

Teddy bears can create a lot of imagination, which is probably why author A. A. Milne was able to come up with the Winnie the Pooh stories. Winnie the Pooh was actually one of the teddy bears in his son, Christopher Robin’s room. However, the actual teddy bear was a girl named Winnipeg.  Even though the teddy bears that represent Winnie the Pooh are a bright yellow, that is nothing near what the original looked like, with stiff arms that moved up and down and didn’t wear a red shirt. 

Brer Bear lived in the forest as a farmer with his wife and children and he always had to chase away wolves. There aren’t too many teddy bears that resemble Brer Bear, however, if there were an I could picture that southern accent if they made him talk. The original storyteller, Uncle Remus had a very southern accent, so much that when he said, brother, it sounded like Bre’r. This bear dates all the way back to 1919 when he first made his debut in a cartoon. 

Do you recall the teddy bears that read stories out of a book to you? I remember one of my daughters Teddy Bears, dear old Teddy Ruxpin, he was the best out of all her teddy bears. Teddy Ruxpin was created back in the 80s and would be recreated four times before all the flaws were fixed, however, this wouldn’t stop kids from loving these fictional teddy bears. 

Paddington bear was a fictional teddy bear that always went on adventures and got himself in some sort of trouble. This teddy bear was originally bought by a couple that thought he needed a home, later he would be written into stories by the owner and become a big part of cartoons. Paddington teddy bears all wear a worn hat and carries around a suitcase for his travels. 

Berenstein Bears were a fictional bear family with a mother, father, brother and sister bear. They all lived in a tree house and storylines that related to real families, such as eating junk food, telling lies, bullies, the first day of school and many other issues that children could relate too. 

As you can see fictional teddy bears have been along for a while and will be here for many more years to come. Do you remember any fictional teddy bears that weren’t mentioned here? Think back to a time when everything was innocent and all about teddy bears and you’ll get that warm feeling once again, even if it is cold outside