Hi! My name is Alice and I am the author and owner of this site. I like teddy bears – and I like to write – a great combination when you stop and think about it. I don’t rank myself as an expert, but as a fan – just like you. And today I’d like to share with you the story of how I fell in love with teddy bears plus a little about me.
A number of years ago a friend showed me a medium-sized black teddy bear from Japan with that “I’m in charge” look. I was so enchanted with the bear and his story that it was love at first sight. A short time later I got my first teddy bear and have never looked back.
So enchanted with teddy bears did I become that I named my home “Casa de Bear.”
As the years progressed, so did my teddy bear collection. I didn’t know a lot about collecting, so got bears with cute costumes and expressions on their faces. I got big bears and little bears and Beany Baby bears through the March of Dimes Beany Baby campaign at work. I mainly bought stuffed teddy bears, though I did have a few Boyds Bears and Cherished Teddies figurines. I even have a small “vaseline glass” bear figurine.
The Search for Teddies
I haunted garage sales, flea markets, and thrift stores for that “perfect” next bear. Finally, I had to stop. The teddy bears were taking over the house! Plus I could no longer see them all to enjoy them as they were up high on top of book shelves, the entertainment center and the top of the headboard in the bedroom. I never got around to counting them, or even cataloging them (yes, I know, a “no-no”), but I gestimated that there were close to 150 teddy bears in the house at one time. That may not seem to be a lot to those collectors who have many hundreds, even up to the thousands, but it was a lot for me.
Then came downsizing and a cross country move. In an effort to find good homes for my teddy bears before my move, I gave a lot to the local Highway Patrol for their teddy bear program to help traumatized children.
I kept about 25 of my most cherished stuffed teddy bears, and today as I write they look down at me from atop the shelves in my office. They watch over me and keep me company. And I love them for that.
See you around Casa de Bear’s Let’s Talk Teddy Bears website! Enjoy!