Psst... Pass the Word!

How to share our hobby with your community.

(originally published in Teddy Bear and Friends magazine, March/April 2008)

"Take something you love, tell people about it, bring together people who share your love, and help make it better. Ultimately, you'll have more of whatever you love for yourself and for the world." - Julius Schwartz, DC Comics pioneer, 1915-2004

For most people, to know teddy bears is to love them — but the community of people passionate about artistic soft sculpture has been slowly shrinking over the past decade. Even as children are flocking to Build-A-Bear and Webkinz, we adult teddy bear collectors are finding ourselves with fewer friends who share our fascination with this art form. But again, to know teddy bears is to love them — we just need to introduce more people to our kind of teddy bears.

In the beginning
The bear community did not spring Athena-like from the doll world, fully grown and ready to conquer the world with hugs. It was instead a grassroots movement that gathered strength over the decade of the 1970s as collectors followed the actor Peter Bull's lead and admitted their lasting affection for their childhood companions, and artists not only discovered the self-expression possible in teddy bears but banded together a few at a time to share techniques, sources, and sheer excitement in their art. There was no structure to the bear world, just individuals combing craft, antique, and doll shows looking for antique teddies, handmade treasures, and like-minded friends. People helped each other build their collections and their contacts while sharing their enthusiasm for teddy bears with anyone who would listen — and that was their key to success.

Thanks to magazines, the Internet, and affordable airfare, teddy bears are more available and their enthusiasts are more in touch than ever before. The appearance of our community has changed, but it's still a strong and vibrant source of information and friendship. However, in addition to sharing eBay links, blogs, and the like, we all need to act as ambassadors for the bear world and try to share it with our communities. We need to go back to our grassroots.

Good examples
In fact, the effort is already underway. John Paul Port grew up in the bear world and has campaigned tirelessly to publicize teddy art. "Some of the greatest experiences in my years of collecting and creating teddy bears have stemmed from sharing that collection with others," he says. John often shares his collection via exhibits at local libraries and talks at schools and service organizations. He donates items to charity raffles and sends postcards to collectors and press releases to newspapers whenever he participates in a show. He reports that several people in his small community "have amassed beautiful collections" and he sees many more at local bear shows.

Last fall the teddy bear artist Janet Anderson created a display for the library in her hometown of Evergreen, Colorado. She included teddy bears, historical documents, both collectors' and children's books, and lots of photographs in her display. Janet made a special effort to connect the exhibit to the community by sharing a local hotel's claim to have made the first teddy bear as well as using bears to depict well-known local amusements. She noted those connections in the press release she sent to the local newspaper. "It was a success in that the library got many wonderful comments on the display and it was written up in the local paper so many people went to see it," reports Janet. "They want me to do another in the future."

Fellow artist Bev White has also promoted the connections between her community and her bear work. For many years a member of a mall-based craft co-operative called The Creative Hand, Bev taught classes, ran an art competition for local high school students, organized artist signings, and even sold the work of other doll and bear artists. More recently, she taught a class at The John Campbell Folk School near Brasstown, North Carolina. "It is a special kind of place that blends history, art, and natural beauty while offering a broad array of handicraft classes for anyone who wishes to explore their creative spirit." She notes that other artists, including Steve Schutt, Celia Baham, and Rita Casey have also taught there. One of her students, Billie Abbot, "has gone on to utilize her new-found skills in her community with what she calls 'a new blessing in my life.' She has begun making 'Memory Teddy Bears' for Hospice and she is now on her sixteenth bear."

Bev also reaches out to potential collectors with her Teddies To Go bear-making kits. "I originally created the collection as a teaching and educational effort," she says. "I felt that it might introduce a whole new generation to the world of teddy bears by providing a cute, cuddly, complete, easy-to-make kit for making your own bear." She has found that providing teddy bears has enabled her to meet "so many truly wonderful and generous people outside the teddy bear collectibles world."

Go get 'em
Now it's your turn. Think about the places in your community where you could share teddy bears. For example, you could approach the library, service groups like Rotary and Lions Clubs, the YM- and YWCA, Girl and Cub Scouts, schools, nursing homes, retirement communities, historical societies and sites, and sewing or quilting clubs. Simply call and ask to speak to the activities or program director and explain that you are a teddy bear collector and would like to share your collection and information about the art. Offer to do a display or short program. Chances are, they'll accept immediately or at the very least give you instructions for submitting your proposal in writing.

Once you have a venue, you need to think about the actual presentation. Whether you're doing a static display or an in-person presentation, you'll need many of the same samples and props. First, of course, gather your bears. Ideally, you should include an old bear, some manufactured bears, and some artist-made bears. Pick bears that you can talk about — bears with interesting "find" stories, or by artists you especially like, or that are meaningful to you. If you don't own bears in one of the categories, use photos. If you're doing a display, type tags that identify the bear's name, maker, materials, and year of creation, and tell any story associated with it. For a talk, of course, you'll incorporate that information in your presentation.

To illustrate the history of the teddy bear, it's helpful to have an enlarged copy of Clifford Berryman's famous "Drawing the Line" cartoon. It's fairly easy to find in teddy bear books and Web sites. Be prepared to type or tell the story of President Roosevelt's trip to Mississippi, Berryman's role in creating the myth of the bear, and the Michtoms' creation of the American bear named "Teddy." For the German side, a picture of an old Steiff bear and one of Margarete Steiff will help explain how that family invented the bear in 1902.

Speaking of books, include an assortment: collector books like Peter Bull's classic Teddy Bear Book, Patricia Schoonmaker's Collector's History of the Teddy Bear, or any of Linda Mullins' or Dee Hockenberry's histories; a "making" or artist book; and classic children's fair like Pooh and Paddington. You can also take teddy bear magazines from around the world.

If your focus is the history of teddy bears, it can be fun to include samples of bears by well-known American companies like Gund, Knickerbocker, and Boyds, as well as examples from around the world, such as Punkinhead from Canada, Dean's and Merrythought bears from England, and Hermann bears from Germany. There are, of course, many more to choose from, and international artists add to the variety. In each case, give a brief history of the company and explain how their bears are unique.

Mentioning the places that antique bears have been sold, like Christie's and Sotheby's, and the prices they have achieved often helps your audience understand that your display or discussion focuses on antiques and art work, not toys. That's especially important when you transition to discussing or displaying modern artist bears, which tend to have a craft-show reputation but art-exhibit prices and can be confusing and intimidating to the uninitiated.

Gather samples of mohair, glass eyes, pearl cotton, Ultrasuede, excelsior, wool felt, and other bear-making supplies. (Artists might be willing to give you scraps of their fabrics when you explain your mission.) Describing the origins and intrinsic value of the materials can go a long way toward explaining the prices and value of modern manufactured and artist-made teddy bear art. You'll complete the picture by speaking or writing with enthusiasm about the variety and uniqueness of the designs, the handcrafting, and the "look" created by each bear maker or artist.

For a display, type captions that clearly and succinctly identify each object. Consider matting the captions on colorful paper and adding stands to the back, or arranging several together on a poster. Proof and spell check the captions! For a talk, write a few lines about each object, keeping in mind the timeline of your story and a trying to maintain a logical flow of information. Remember to consider the age of your audience — adults, for example, might appreciate learning the impact of the World Wars on the teddy bear trade, whereas children need a simplified version of the story (i.e., tell them that the teddy bear is more than 100 years old, not that it was invented in 1902). You don't need to write a script — it's more natural to talk from an outline using your own words each time — but you certainly can read your presentation word-for-word if that makes you more comfortable.

Practice setting up your display or presenting your talk. Make sure it fits into the space — display case or time — allotted. For a display, give it height and depth to make it more interesting, but be sure everything can be seen and understood from a limited vantage point. Ask your friends and family to be your audience so you can rehearse a talk until you're comfortable or answer questions about the display. Consider adding a few handouts, such as old magazines, a list of helpful Web sites, local bear shows, and nearby shops, and business cards if appropriate.

At the same time that you're gathering your props and outlining your talk or display, remember to promote your event if it will be held in a public place. Invite your friends and neighbors (in writing) and send a press release to the local newspaper, to the attention of the features editor. It can be simple: the basic "who, what, where, why, how to contact" formula will work, especially if you include a photo of you with a teddy bear. If appropriate, send an announcement to local schools as well.

When installing a display, remember to take supplies like tape, fishing line, scissors, T-pins, and museum wax to help you get everything into place. Colorful boxes from the craft or discount store can be good props. Be prepared to answer questions and hand out cards even as you're setting up.

If you're giving a talk, dress nicely, arrive early, and take a few deep breaths. Try not to "give a speech" — instead, envision your audience as friends and let your natural enthusiasm for your topic shine through. Don’t worry if you stumble, just pick up your place and keep going. They're expecting entertainment and information, not perfection. Take a camera and ask someone to take a few photos of you. Pass around the items you feel comfortable sharing and invite your audience to step up afterward to view those you'd prefer they not touch. Relax and enjoy it — you'll be great!

Share your success
When it's all over, remember to send a thank-you note to your host organization. If your local newspaper doesn't contact you before your talk or visit during the event, be sure to send a follow-up press release and photo describing your success, especially if you're leaving a display up for a period of time. You should also send a note and photo to us at Teddy Bear and Friends so we can share your success with other readers and perhaps inspire them to try their own grassroots teddy bear talk!