Nolliag Shona from the Michauds!
There are many languages in which we could choose to say MERRY CHRISTMAS to our many teddy bear friends around the world, and you can choose any one of the languages we show the expression in but we chose to say it in Irish Gaelic, since our topic for this issue is a very special teddy we adopted that was made in Ireland.
We simply refer to him as "the Irish Bear", and he was discovered on one of our tours to Great Britain at Camden Passage in London.
This weekly antiques market area is not as well known as Portobelo Road Market and is much smaller in size, but it has antique shops on both sides of the narrow street as well as vendors set up right on the sidewalks.
The late Pam Hebbs had a shop in this famous marketplace and although it was small in size (4 people would be crowded inside), Pam more than made up for it in her selection of teddies that were stacked tightly on shelves that reached clear to the ceiling.
Pam actually originally dealt in antique dolls, but once the teddy bears came into popularity, they quickly took over most of the premises.
As Pam and Doris exchanged pleasantries, I quickly sized up the selection of teddies looking for a new home. Seated high on the very top shelf and out of reach even for my long arms, was a bear that had a special charm, staring back at me from his lofty perch.
I quietly rounded up a step stool and firmly grasped the bear by the arm. As I lowered him down, I noticed the tag at the back of his neck that said "Pedigree - Made in Ireland." I then turned to Pam and said "we have a home waiting for this Irish bear, but he wants his hat back", and with that I removed a green derby from a nearby doll and placed it on our Irish bear's head.
"Done" said Pam, and another teddy joined the Michaud collection.
We are always delighted to find a teddy bear that retains a tag by the original maker. This is the exception to the rule, but to our knowledge this teddy can claim to be the only genuine Irish teddy bear in the Michaud collection.
The Pedigree soft toy company can actually trace its roots to a firm named Lines Brothers Ltd. in England, a company that dates back to the middle of the 19th century.
The Pedigree name was added to the company's line of products in 1931, and within the short span of 6 or 7 years they were producing a wide range of plush animals that were sold throughout the world. Demand was so great that they set up factories in New Zealand, Canada, Australia and South Africa.
A factory was opened in Belfast, Ireland in 1946, and this factory shortly took over nearly all of the company's soft toy production. Jointed and unjointed teddy bears were crafted in mohair, and the company was also noted for a variety of animals on wheels.
Some of the design characteristics of a Pedigree bear are the short, chubby arms, pointed paws, and straight legs with no defined foot. Our Irish bear is unique in that his head design is made of four pieces rather than the typical three found on most older bears. Over the course of time the company went to plastic eyes and to synthetic plush fabrics.
In 1971 Lines Brothers ceased production and bear making was transferred back to England.
Pedigree's production manager Jim Mulholland set up his own factory called Mulholland and Bailie in Belfast Ireland and renamed the company Nylena. This brand continued to produce teddy bears into the 1990s, and an occasional teddy with this label comes to the market place on eBay.
Terry & Doris Michaud
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Members since March 2009
Photos courtesy of the author.
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