A Bear That has me Baffled

I have this cute little bear that has me puzzled as to her origins.

She has a sweet face, with quite close set eyes and a prominent dainty nose with black stitching.
Her arms look very Chiltern, but not her legs.  Could she be a Chad Valley, as some of their bears were made similar to Chiltern. 
Her head is fixed as in some of the Pedigree bears I have come across, but she really doesn't look from this 'stable'.

Her golden mohair fur is in quite a good condition, the main areas of concern being her feet pads.
They have been replaced, but not attached very neatly, so I will redo them.  Her paw pads are worn, but not enough to need replacing in my opinion.
Any suggestions as to her maker?  She is one of those bears that I look at, and look at and just can't decide who she is. :(

 

The Bears in the Drawer

I have a number of bears and animals in the drawer awaiting mending and/or cleaning.
Some are just grubby and need a good clean and brush, and others, like the poor little Chiltern bear need various 'operations' and 'fur grafts'.


The bear waiting room drawer

I really need to get this drawer emptied a bit as it is near impossible to close.
Starting at top left and working clockwise:-
Rust and white large bear made by Betoy in Oxfordshire, England, and a large brown bear (unknown maker).  Both finds by my husband, so not as old as most of my bears - probably 1970's-1980's.

Large pink German Funfair bear.  The blue bear is a smaller version.  They need a good clean but are both beautiful bears.

Clemens 'Sammy' bear with open, happy mouth.  Again needs a thorough cleaning.
White bear with red ears and eyes.  Cute little bear, but I don't know his origins.

Gorgeous large mohair bear that is in good condition, but needs ears and eyes.  I am waiting to go to a bear fair to buy appropriate mohair to make ears.  I think he may be a Schuco bear.

 

Two Chiltern grey cats are next.  The larger of the two has a squeak box, but it does not work.  They just need a clean and brush.

Black and white mohair dog nightdress case.  Clean, no damage, but needs a good brushing.

Just peeping through the middle are two little elephants.  One I think is a Steiff, but he has no label and his tusks are missing.









Plush sleepy dog, possibly Steiff.

Very bald Chiltern bear with much work needed - ears stitched back, paws mended, hole in tummy to be patched etc.  He does have his eyes and most of his nose and mouth stitching though.

Beige and red rabbit with red coat.  He is very old, may be a home made toy.

White mohair dog pyjama case - just needs eyes and a brushing.


So, there they are, my future projects all jumping up and down in the drawer saying "me next, mend me next".






Chiltern Bear 'Darnit'

Darnit, with his strange button eyes.

I have not blogged for quite a while, but I just had to show off this cute Chiltern bear that I have christened Darnit.  He has quite extensive darning to his eye sockets, hence his name.
Here are his before and after photos.


What a difference a nice pair of glass eyes makes.
Darnit is now SOLD

He came to me with odd sized white button eyes, one stitched on with green wool and the other with white wool.  A delicate operation and he now looks much happier with his amber glass eyes.

He is very worn with just tufts of mohair and is quite saggy.  His paw pads are all intact though and he has his original nose and mouth.  I restitched his back seam as it was not very neat and put a few stitches in one of his ears.

He is now available in my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/PollysVintageBears

My 'To Do' Box of Bears

I didn't realise I was building up a box full of restoration projects until I removed them from the corner of the store area and put them all together in a box.

The Teddy Hospital 'Waiting Room'

They are now huddled together in their cosy box waiting to see who is first to be mended/cleaned ready for a new home.  They've probably got the right idea, it is freezing here on the East Coast of England.  The cold, biting wind blowing off the sea doesn't seem to want to go away and it has felt so cold it hurts your eyes to walk into it (the wind).
Let me introduce you to the residents of the box :-

Minibrix Bear

This handsome chap is a Minibrix bear.  I have never come across one before and I would say he is pretty rare. He has a label tucked under his (very damaged) arm that says 'Minibrix Hygenic Toys' Apparently the firm usually made toy bricks (like Lego, but rubber), but made a few other toys between 1959-1961, then the factory caught fire and they ceased production.
I thought he was a Lefray bear until I saw his label. Has anyone else come across one of these bears?

Leather nosed bear SOLD and grey Chiltern cat

The grey cat is a Chiltern.  These were made in at least two sizes, this being the larger one.  He needs a good clean and brushing, but his fur is quite thick and his felt ears are all intact.  They sometimes look as if the cat has been in a fight with the local alley cats!  He (or she) also has the original pink ribbon.
The chubby bear is one that my husband found at a boot fair.  I have no idea at the moment who made him but he is a cute little chap with a kind face. He could be a one off home made bear, anytime from the 1950's  to 1980's - one to research I think.

The red duo came in job lot boxes. The rabbit is really cute with his big red ears and little felt coat.  There are no makers labels on him so, again no idea who made him.  There is quite a bit of delicate stitching still to do on his red felt.  I did make a start and then got waylaid with another project.

The pretty little red and white bear has a label, and is made by 'Acme Hygenic Toys'.  He is very lightweight and just requires a few stitches to his seams.  He has the most beautiful red eyes.


The scruffy looking Chiltern cartoon bear with the dirty face needs a good clean and brush.
His companion is a small Chiltern from c1940's.  He has his facial features intact, but needs 'surgery' on a large hole at the side of his nose (see close up). 

This is another bear purchased by my husband.  He needs a matching pair of eyes.  Again, I think he could be a one off home made bear.

And of course, not forgetting the large Chiltern Hugmee bear that I have named George.  He needs major surgery on one of his foot pads and eyes.  Also a good clean to his mohair.


I think I have got a busy time ahead, sorting out this little lot.  There are also a couple of dog nightdress cases to tidy up and two miniature baby dolls to dress. 

Two Blind Chiltern Bears

I found a beautiful old bear the other day, and when I got him I realised he was a large Chiltern Hugmee, a very collectable bear.  His photograph was not very good so I was not able to identify him until I saw him in person (bearson?).

Hubert, waiting patiently for his 'operations'

He needs a bit of sorting out, his paw is nearly hanging off and he has no eyes, but he is still a wonderful bear.
Then I came across this smaller Chiltern with a broken neck, now repaired and looking very handsome.

This is Herbert, he had one eye and a broken neck when I got him, poor boy.

I was on a roll :) and my next purchase was another big Chiltern, this time a softer, Kapok filled version, but very similar to the first one.



This is George, he also has no eyes (is it contagious?) 



And finally a strange little dog called Susie.  I know that is her name as her previous owner told me.

She has been much loved so I will be extra careful to not change her character when I tidy her up. She has a white cotton patch which I will leave as it is part of her history, and I do not think her ears are original.

 

Showing off her little white patch
 

I think she is beautiful (all in the eyes of the beholder I think) and when I am finished she will stand proud with her tail up and a beautiful new ribbon or collar.