Ferdie the Fox

I am constantly researching to find the makers of some of the old bears and animals that I get.
Some are easy - they have a label, then it is just tying the label up with a date.  Makers used various labels in different eras.
It is so satisfying after looking for what seems an age for the roots of a bear, dog or other animal to find exactly what they are and to be able to give a name to the design.

This is Ferdie Fox

Ferdie came to me in a job lot of old (some very poorly) animals and bears.  As you can see he is very small.  I was puzzzled by his appearance - he looked a bit like a Hermann type, but I had never seen one made from fluffy pipecleaners before.
He has glass eyes and nose and is really very cute.
This morning, just by chance I was browsing Etsy when I came upon this.  Can you see the resemblance?

This deer is made by Ara Jeterzian.  He made about 200 of these little collectable animals in the 1970's to 1980's.  My research shows that he came from Austria. (at least my Hermann idea was the right sort of area in the World!).  I have found quite a lot of deer, they seem to have been very popular.
Here are a few more that I have found on the net

They came in little clear sided boxes, some are still available boxed.  I think they are really cute and can imagine myself collecting them when I was a youngster.  Sadly, they were not available in my local Wooloworths store where I went to spend my pocket money.

The little Fox is available on my website www.pollysvintagebears.weebly.com or in my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/PollyKay11

The others are from various websites on the Internet.



Gary and Kathy, Two Old Friends

I showed you a couple of Old Timers in a very sorry state a few weeks ago.
This week I decided it was about time they had their makeover.

I started with the bear whom I had called Rumble as he had a hole in his tummy.
As I was stitching and cleaning it became apparent that Rumble was, infact a girl!  The name didn't suit her at all so I had to think of another.  I waited until I had finished her and sat her in front of me thinking how beautiful she was now.  I decided on Kathy as I have always though that Katherine Zeta Jones was really beautiful.

Next was the Pekingese dog.  He is called Gary.  The reason?  Biscuits of course - Garibaldi - get it?
Again I stitched and cleaned, and replaced missing eyes.  Gary has no mohair left at all on his body so I knitted him a blue coat to protect his 'skin' from further damage.

I am so pleased with how the two of them have turned out, I have to keep going to look at them.
There is something so special about these old timers that people have let get in such a state.  If only they could talk, think of the tales they could tell.

Poor old Garibaldi

Gary standing proud in his new coat

Two sad old friends

A little magic - and 'You Shall go to the Ball'

Both Gary and Kathy are available on my website www.pollysvintagebears.weebly.com and for International customers www.etsy.com/shop/PollyKay11

Groundhog Day

Squeaky - NOW SOLD

Apparently today is Groundhog Day in America.  I have seen the film with Tom Hanks in it a couple of times but didn't realise that Groundhog Day actually happens in USA on February 2nd every year.  I thought it was just made up for the film.

Squeaky, above is a Hermann Marmot (Groundhog)  he was available in my Etsy shop although is now sold www.etsy.com/shop/PollyKay11 .  He has been in many Treasuries on Etsy the last few days and has proved very popular with lots of views.

Foggy found him quite interesting when I left him on the table.

He is in excellent condition (Squeaky I mean, but Foggy's pretty good too) complete with his red tag label and a loud squeak when pressed.
If you prefer a private website shop instead of Etsy, this is my websitewww.pollysvintagebears.weebly.com

Happy Groundhog Day!

Smiler and his Family

Some of you may remember this funny little bear that I named Smiler.

Smiler

I purchased him with a view to restoring and selling on, but fell in love with his cute little gummy smile, so he is still here.
I have been searching for other bears like him to find out who his maker is. 

Mac and Smiler

Many months ago a came across one of his 'brothers' who I have named Mac.  He was wearing Scottish tartan trousers and a bow tie and was in quite a grubby condition  (much worse than I thought when I bought him).  He has been sitting in my 'Old bears to restore' box since then.
This morning I came across this little bear on the net.  Can you see the family likeness?

Ted

I have not purchased him yet, although I have given him the name Ted, but I am very tempted.  Unfortunately he still hasn't got a label, but his seams and how is is made is identical to Mac and Smiler - he's just in near perfect condition and has not been played with to within an inch of his life as the other two have.
My thoughts are that they may be Chad Valley bears, possibly pre-WWII, but if anyone has any other information I would be very pleased to find out who their makers are.

Mac, naked and trying to preserve his modesty :)

Finding Ted has spurred me on to do something about poor Mac, so I rescued him from the box and removed his trousers and bow tie ready to give him a clean.

I think I may have found myself a type of bear to collect. I just couldn't let Smiler go.  I like these little bears, especially the well loved ones, they must have so many stories to tell, I can imagine them being owned by poorer children and probably going through the Blitz or being evacuated with their young owners.

There are still plenty of old bears that I can let go on my website www.pollysvintagebears.weebly.com or for overseas customers www.etsy.com/shop/PollyKay11

I will post a picture of Mac when he has been cleaned up (hopefully it will go well).

Odds and Ends

I've listed a few oddities on my Etsy shop in the last week.  They had been passed over in favour of the mohair bears and dogs for a while and thought I would see if there would be any interest in them.
 
There is a miniature pram, a little German Lion, Mickey Mouse, a plush and felt Fox and a Teddy Bear bookmark.
The Lion and the pram seem the most popular so far, but then I've only just posted the Fox and Mickey.

Take a look at them in my shop www.etsy.com/shop/PollyKay11

Grerr the Lion

Bookmark



Mickey Mouse (just in case you didn't know!)

Foxy

 I have numerous creatures to clean, brush and mend in my 'to do' box. Some will take longer than others and I have to be feeling quite brave to tackle them. 

I still have Gary, the bald Pekingese and now he has a buddy in the form of a very bald, eyeless mohair bear whom I have named Rumble.

The large white Poodle is made by Deans, complete with label.  I think it would have been on a frame as a Toddler Walker because the feet do not seem finished off neatly, and it is large enough to be that type of toy.

There is also a cat and 3 bears in the freezer (Oh dear that makes me sound like a criminal!)

Waiting for restoration

Gary and Rumble - don't they look great together?

However did we survive?

We children of the 40's and 50's that is.

It's bad enough that we had to endure the bombs of the 2nd World War, without the added dangers from the toys of the age.
It never ceases to amaze me when I restore an old bear or dog, the dangerous manner in which they were put together - and they were given to young children and babies!

The fact that the eyes were usually glass was bad enough with the danger of cracking and breaking, without the added danger of the metal that was used to insert them into the head.

Here is one that I removed from a toy dog this morning (the other was cracked in half so I had to replace them).  I just pulled and this is how it came out!  As you can see, it is just a 2" metal spike that was pushed into the head.  At least the glass ones that I use have a metal loop and are firmly stitched in.

Nowdays the cotterpin joints are only used for adults' artist bears or for restoration work, but back then metal washers and cotterpins were regularly used on childrens' toys. 

Tin plate toys were commonplace, and paint used to give the toys their bright colours were very often lead based, in fact there were even toy soldiers etc actually made from lead.

We threw sticks and stones up into the Horsechestnut trees to get our Conkers, Guides and Scouts had large sheath knives on their belts and carried pocket knives. (I had both of those)
Children could buy caps for their guns and fireworks, matches and 'Dad's cigarettes'.

We climbed trees, played tennis in the middle of the road, (just moving when a car came) and splashed about in the dykes catching Sticklebacks (little fish for you youngsters) in a jam jar.

We never worried about burning ourselves or blowing ourselves up, getting ill from passive smoking, being run over or drowing in the dyke.  No-one had told us that the sticks and stones could fall from the Chestnut Tree and blind us or that we could stab ourselves with sharp knives. 

But we survived - even without the Health and Safety Brigade of modern times - and boy, was it fun!

The Mystery of the Missing Leg

You may remember before Christmas that I had lost a leg from a little miniature brown bear.  I managed to find enough mohair to make another and finish Ted Bear

He is proving very popular and has had lots of views, but is still available in my website www.pollysvintagebears.weebly.com  and www.etsy.com/shop/PollyKay11
Well, my daughter rang the other day and asked if I had lost a teddy leg.  She had found it under one of her sofas when she took her trees and decorations down.
At least the mystery is solved and if I make another bear in the same colours I only need to make one leg :)
My next two Pud Bears are a 4" white sparse mohair and this little 6" pink tipped one.  She has big blue eyes.

I also have a box full of old characters to clean up and mend.  Here are a selection of them -

Half way there

The big white one at the back is a Merrythought 'Super Bear' nightdress case, complete with label on his foot.  Next to him is, I think, a Wendy Boston, and to the left of that one is a small, possibly Pedigree bear.  In the front row L to R , a German bear with growler, a grey cat similar to one I've had before, may be Hermann, a mohair headed bear with a sheepskin body, (not sure if it is a later addition) and my favourite, a perfectly proportioned little mohair bear with a cute face.
I have just looked at the bear with the sheepskin body and unstitched a few bits.  Doesn't she look better? (I have decided that this bear is a girl).

'As nature intended'

I removed the bright white sheepskin material and uncovered the original body.  There is a hole in the left leg that I will but a contrasting patch on and one on the chest.  I'm not sure what to do with that yet, although I will probably dress her as that is how I think she would have been originally.
The left foot was missing so I have used some of the sheepskin to form a new one.  I have only pinned it so far and you can just see the pin heads if you look carefully. 
I still don't know what make she is, but with her contrasting muzzle I am thinking possibly German.
I will keep researching to try to find her maker.

Harry and Sidney The Cavaliers and their Christmas

My two Cavaliers, Harry and Sidney haven't really bothered with Christmas before so I thought I was being thrifty in not buying presents for them.  They can be very greedy with treats, so not a good idea, and they only seem to play with the same old toys all the time - Big Ted and Squeaky Pig. 
Sidney has had Big Ted since he was a puppy.  He was about the size of it's leg and used to play fetch with it, dragging it back to us.  Sidney is now 6 and Big Ted still has all his stuffing, arms and legs, ears and both eyes. 
Harry was 10 months old when we had him, and came with a couple of toys (Sidney had a basket full by that age!).  We had just bought Sidney the little squeaky pig as he had lost his squeaky Hippo.  Harry loved it and stole it from Sidney, making it his own.  That was 4 years ago and Squeaky Pig has been played with daily and still squeaks.  My boys know how to look after their toys! :)

Sidney with Big Ted and Harry with his Squeaky Pig

Big Ted gets given a Runner Bean that Sidney found in the garden

I put the Christmas tree up and started putting presents around the base and Sidney was really excited.  He sat guarding the presents after that, occasionally nudging one.  Oh dear, it was Christmas Eve and I had no time to get presents for the dogs by then. 
I felt such a bad Mummy.                                                         
I hastily wrapped up a couple of their chew treats so there was something for them to unwrap Christmas morning.  I needn't have bothered really as they were just as excited to see my Grandsons unwrapping their presents.  Santa came to my house :)

Sidney, tail a blur, looking quite bewildered by everything (note Big Ted not far away)

Harry watched the proceedings from my knee, on his 'new blanket'.  I call it my cuddly new red dressing gown, but every time I sat down he was there, snuggling into it.

"I luurve Mam's new dressing gown"

He also liked to cuddle up to my youngest Grandson, Lucas.  Here they are, both having a quiet time with Grandad Alan.

Lucas loves dogs and they love him - he squishes down
 and makes a great cushion :)

Well that is my dogs' Christmas.  I too had a nice time, my daughter and Grandsons stayed over and it was lovely to have children about on Christmas morning.  It just isn't Christmas without the kids and wall to wall wrapping paper.
I managed to cook the dinner with the aid of extra tablets for my arthritis.  I may have been a bit spaced out and high on the Codene, but at least I managed to stand and prepare everything.
We had my brother, sister and bil over for tea and a great time was had by all.  I can honestly say that it was the best Christmas Day I have spent for many years.
I ached a bit by bedtime but it had been worth it. :)

BIG SALE over at my Etsy shop

I have just finished adjusting the prices for my BIG SALE in www.etsy.com/shop/PollyKay11

Some items are HALF PRICE and others are 25% OFF.

Kimmi Koala SOLD

Here are examples of the 50% OFF items

Pierre SOLD

Rusty BOTH SOLD

Cuddles SOLD

Eddie SOLD

Bethany Bunny

Angel

Many other bears and dogs are 25% OFF

There are 55 items to choose from in my shop www.etsy.com/shop/PollyKay11 so go and have a browse through the BIG SALE

Top ten for the week

Here is this week's top ten most viewed items from my Etsy shop

At joint number 10 - these
2 tree topper fairies

9 - Martha, a gorgeous old bear SOLD

8 - Snowy a Real Soft Toys large white cat SOLD

Still at 7 - Kaybee an American Knickerbocker bear

6 - Sherbert Lemon, a pretty Chad Valley bear

5 - Trix, a Chad Valley (Beagle orTerrier) dog

4 - Ted Bear, one of my own  Pud Bears

3 - Taggle, a Berg cat - NOW SOLD

2 - Leo, a small Berg Lion - NOW SOLD

.....and at number 1 - Brendon, one of my own Pud Bears

All of the above bears are available from my etsy shop  (International & UK customers)www.etsy.com/shop/PollyKay11
or from my website (mainly for customers in the UK) www.pollysvintagebears.weebly.com
The Pud Bears can also be found at www.folksy.com/shops/PudBearsandFriends

Only 10 days to Christmas now, so if you are in the UK get you order in  now to guarantee delivery in time for the big day.
Unfortunately the last posting days have passed for USA, Russia, Japan etc.
I always post items quickly to my customers, within a couple of days of the order.