Please Help!! Can't Find A Thing About Mom's Bear!
by Nancy Hall
(Castro Valley, Ca.)
Long Limbed teddy bear
Long teddy Bear
teddy Bear tummy
close up of teddy bear tummy
Hi
I inherited a long lanky Teddy Bear from my mom's collection of glass cased memorabilia she collected. I know she didn't collect pieces for value, she collected more for sentimental reasons than for anything else. I do the same. In this case I'll keep Ted as a sentiment from Mom but I'm also curious about the history of the object as for me it gives me more to attach to the object itself. To begin Ted is about sixteen inches long. He has roundish ears with no discernible markings or holes. He has black glass eyes (I believe they are glass as there are no scratching or hazing on them)The limbs and head are all jointed and easily movable. I read somewhere that early vintage Teddys were jointed with metal that rusted over time, but none of that was evident here so I'm guessing plastic must have been used. The forelimbs or arms are very long and reaching almost to where the knees would be if he had knees. The legs are very straight and although they articulate at the hip, as I suggested before, they do not bent at the knees. The forelimbs are also very straight although they do curve slightly forward at the wrist as if reaching for something. He has normal "human type" feet so he would be able to wear shoes if some could be found in his size.
In the rear there is a slight hump or bump just below where the head is attached to the body. There is no neck
so I am imagining that whatever mechanism was used to hold fast the head is causing the small lump around the back and shoulder areas of the bear, plus padding to keep the cuddly softness of Ted without having a hard object grind into you. The fur is very soft and short. I can't tell what it's made from. My guess is something artificial as I think I can see where the 'fur' was stitched onto a fabric lining when I look at the seams or around the nose. In the rear where the tail would be, if he had a tail which he does not, is a small fabric tag which reads '03 ALGA' which I've tried to find on the internet to no avail. Now, the feel to Ted. When I squeeze his body there is no crunchiness as I've heard some Teddys stuffed with excelsior sound. He is just squeezably soft like a firm roll of Charmin toilet tissue with no sounds coming forth, such as growls or groans. He is like that all over his body consistently from head to toe. There are no gaps where perhaps material might have migrated or fell through a hole. His bow tie is not fixed in one place and can be swiveled around his non-existent neck or replaced altogether if so desired. I intend to leave it on him as it seems original, but just revamp it if possible. Lastly, he is of a very light grayish color and his pale blue bow tie accents that just right.
