Meet The Royal Teddy Bear
You can expect teddy bears to be big news this summer. Especially those made by Merrythought, Britain’s last remaining traditional teddy bear manufacturer. Because this quintessentially British company has been supplying the Royal Family with teddies since the 1930s – and will be making one for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s baby when it arrives in July.
‘Details at this stage are still very much a secret, but we can con rm that we have designed a very special collectable teddy bear to celebrate the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s rst child,’ says Sarah Holmes, who now runs the business with her sister, Hannah.
‘The pastel-coloured bear is made from the nest mohair plush and will feature the Prince or Princess’s name and date of birth embroidered in gold. We intend for No1 of the limited edition to be given to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s baby once he or she arrives.’
Young Prince William with Zara Phillips and her teddyRun by the Holmes family since the 1930s, Merrythought is now in the hands of Sarah and Hannah, greatgranddaughters of founder Oliver Holmes. They took charge of the company after their father passed away.
‘It’s a fourth-generation family business,’ Sarah explains. ‘When our father, who ran the business, died in early 2011, the gauntlet was passed down to Hannah and me. It was a steep learning curve and there were stressful moments, but we couldn’t let this wonderful company cease. We are the last teddy bear manufacturer in the UK – it would be the end of the industry if we shut up shop.’
But in an age when many children opt for computer games over traditional toys, how has the teddy bear survived?
‘People connect with them,’ Sarah explains. ‘It’s a bit like having a pet and they become very sentimental about them. A baby will be given a teddy bear and it will be something they treasure and keep for life. Often the teddy will be handed down to their children as a family heirloom.’
Sarah and Hannah frequently receive letters from people who were given Merrythought bears when they were children. ‘The high quality of our bears means that when a child is given one, they enjoy it for life. We receive letters every day from grandparents who have handed down their bear to their grandchildren. We have a small museum so people also donate bears to us.’
So what is the secret of making the perfect teddy bear? ‘It’s a combination of factors,’ Sarah says. ‘Certainly you have to start with the nest materials. We use mohair for nearly all of our teddy bears; it’s what the very rst one would have been made from, so it’s very traditional. Being handmade and having a hand-embroidered nose and smile also gives personality and expression to a bear. Character is so important and you wouldn’t get that without our attention to detail.
‘We try to source as many components from England as we can. But unfortunately some materials simply aren’t made here any more. Traditionally, everything was produced in the UK, but as the manufacturing industry has declined it has become harder to source certain things. As a consequence, we source some from Europe. For example, the best-quality eyes and the mohair, are made to order, so it is still of a very high quality.’
So the suppliers have changed over the years, but what about the lovable bears themselves?
‘Traditionally, teddy bears were made with glass eyes. Nowadays, they aren’t considered childsafe, so we use high-quality plastic safety eyes, which still give a very sweet look. Components may have changed, but the styling and the way we produce patterns hasn’t.
‘The quintessential teddy is timeless. It was introduced at the turn of the 19th century, and has been the most evergreen toy. I don’t think there will be another toy that compares – it has never gone out of fashion.’
And as preparations are under way to create a teddy bear for the Royal baby, it seems that they will be around for a few years yet.
This unique collector’s piece marks the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s Coronation. The deep-gold mohair bear features pearl-white silk pads embroidered in gold thread with the words ‘The Queen’s Coronation 1953-2013’. The velvet robe is trimmed with white plush, and replicates the Robe of Estate worn by Elizabeth II when she was crowned at Westminster Abbey.
For a chance to win the Merrythought Coronation Teddy Bear enter online here
‘Details at this stage are still very much a secret, but we can con rm that we have designed a very special collectable teddy bear to celebrate the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s rst child,’ says Sarah Holmes, who now runs the business with her sister, Hannah.
‘The pastel-coloured bear is made from the nest mohair plush and will feature the Prince or Princess’s name and date of birth embroidered in gold. We intend for No1 of the limited edition to be given to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s baby once he or she arrives.’
Young Prince William with Zara Phillips and her teddyRun by the Holmes family since the 1930s, Merrythought is now in the hands of Sarah and Hannah, greatgranddaughters of founder Oliver Holmes. They took charge of the company after their father passed away.‘It’s a fourth-generation family business,’ Sarah explains. ‘When our father, who ran the business, died in early 2011, the gauntlet was passed down to Hannah and me. It was a steep learning curve and there were stressful moments, but we couldn’t let this wonderful company cease. We are the last teddy bear manufacturer in the UK – it would be the end of the industry if we shut up shop.’
But in an age when many children opt for computer games over traditional toys, how has the teddy bear survived?
‘People connect with them,’ Sarah explains. ‘It’s a bit like having a pet and they become very sentimental about them. A baby will be given a teddy bear and it will be something they treasure and keep for life. Often the teddy will be handed down to their children as a family heirloom.’
Sarah and Hannah frequently receive letters from people who were given Merrythought bears when they were children. ‘The high quality of our bears means that when a child is given one, they enjoy it for life. We receive letters every day from grandparents who have handed down their bear to their grandchildren. We have a small museum so people also donate bears to us.’
So what is the secret of making the perfect teddy bear? ‘It’s a combination of factors,’ Sarah says. ‘Certainly you have to start with the nest materials. We use mohair for nearly all of our teddy bears; it’s what the very rst one would have been made from, so it’s very traditional. Being handmade and having a hand-embroidered nose and smile also gives personality and expression to a bear. Character is so important and you wouldn’t get that without our attention to detail.
‘We try to source as many components from England as we can. But unfortunately some materials simply aren’t made here any more. Traditionally, everything was produced in the UK, but as the manufacturing industry has declined it has become harder to source certain things. As a consequence, we source some from Europe. For example, the best-quality eyes and the mohair, are made to order, so it is still of a very high quality.’
So the suppliers have changed over the years, but what about the lovable bears themselves?
‘Traditionally, teddy bears were made with glass eyes. Nowadays, they aren’t considered childsafe, so we use high-quality plastic safety eyes, which still give a very sweet look. Components may have changed, but the styling and the way we produce patterns hasn’t.
And as preparations are under way to create a teddy bear for the Royal baby, it seems that they will be around for a few years yet.
WIN A CORONATION TEDDY BEAR
This unique collector’s piece marks the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s Coronation. The deep-gold mohair bear features pearl-white silk pads embroidered in gold thread with the words ‘The Queen’s Coronation 1953-2013’. The velvet robe is trimmed with white plush, and replicates the Robe of Estate worn by Elizabeth II when she was crowned at Westminster Abbey.For a chance to win the Merrythought Coronation Teddy Bear enter online here