Pitman bear

by Steve Rudland
(Anstruther, Fife, Scotland )

Mr Ted was my father’s bear. He dates from at least 1933. He is wearing a velvet suit with a cap or beret. These are not add-on clothes, they are part of the bear as made. His boots appear to be made of wood.

His paws are made of felt but may have had velvet on them. They appear to be the same material as the suit.

He has a rotating head and a squeaker in his tummy. The eyes are made of glass with a yellow/brown iris and a black pupil.

We aren’t sure about the original colour of his suit. It may be yellow, or it may be a pink or peach colour. The clothes are all stitched, with hemmed trousers and jacket.

Each paw has four fingers and a thumb.

With the exception of his boots, he is soft, but very well stuffed.

The fur was probably a yellow brown which has aged to a darker shade. The nose is black stitched. There is also a tiny red velvet tongue.

He measures approximately ten inches in height.

We’ve called him a pitman bear because we think he’s wearing a miners jacket, flat cap and boots and he probably originated from the north east of England.

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