£195.00
During their milestone 95th anniversary year, Merrythought are proudly recreating a small selection of their most iconic designs - straight from the company's archives.
Named as their Heritage Collection, these wonderful pieces will delve back into the earliest years of Merrythought and see the return of some truly unique characters, which have been crafted using the same traditional skills and materials first embraced almost 100 years ago.
In 1939, Merrythought was commissioned by London Zoo to design a life-sized soft toy version of 'Ming', who is perhaps the most famous giant panda in British history - and the first to set foot on British soil, in 1938. The brief was to create a copy so accurate, that it could act as a stand in for Ming when she wasn't in her enclosure. Merrythought rose to the challenge and created what was the world's first ever life-like soft toy panda.
This detailed replica is made from the same original patterns - on a smaller scale - and has been crafted from off-white and black mohair plush fabrics. She features a jointed neck, which allows her to stand in a variety of poses, and wears a ruby red velvet collar with buckle for the perfect finishing touch.
Ming Panda has been individually numbered as part of a special open edition and is presented in a grey cotton Merrythought presentation bag with certificate of authenticity.
Merrythought has been hand-making the quintessential English teddy bear in the World Heritage Site of Ironbridge, Shropshire, since 1930 and is now the last remaining British teddy bear manufacturer. The company is a fourth generation family business founded by Mr W.G Holmes. Famous for crafting the finest, jointed, mohair teddy bears adored by children and adults across the world; every one of their enchanting bears is lovingly brought to life by hand, giving them a unique character and superior quality that can last a lifetime. The range includes traditional and limited edition teddy bears, as well as their iconic Cheeky and Punkie bears. Merrythought teddy bears have universal appeal making them the perfect gift for christenings, weddings or birthdays, as well as for collectors.
Out of Stock - £259.00
Steiff's first "Long To Reign Over Us" musical bear was created to commemorate the landmark milestone of Queen Elizabeth II becoming the longest reigning British monarch of all time. Now, after her sad passing in September 2022, Steiff have released this wonderful accompaniment to that celebratory bear. This "Long To Reign Over Us" King Charles III...
£279.00
Steiff have done a wonderful recreation of their gorgeous 1910 teddy bear! He has been crafted from the finest wavy mohair in mottled tones of cream and dark blonde and has delicately been airbrushed around the muzzle. He features hand-made black glass eyes, a waxed hand-stitched nose, mouth and claws...
Out of Stock - £449.00
Steiff have lovingly and masterfully recreated one of it's most famous bears - first created in memory of the victims of the Titanic sinking on April 14th 1912. Known as the 'Mourning Bear', he has been crafted from the finest curly black mohair fabric stitched with the original centre seam. He...