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Love Is in the Air!
Bearon in his tuxedo and fur coat, ready for a night at the opera. Natasha is wearing her ballet dress and ballet slippers and her feet are placed in a plie. They are portrayed in black, white and gray, reminiscent of the stylistic nature of wedding photographs from that era.
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The Funcky Story
Or, the Tale of
Bearon And Bearoness von Funck
Once upon a time, there was a kind, gentle, blue-blooded, nobleman bear named Bearon Alexander von Funck.
The Bearon, (his proper title), lived in Siberia on the frigid Russian Steppes, where the temperature drops
to 50 degrees below zero, which is why the Bearon had
blue blood.
Bored with the icy chill and endless snow of Siberia, the
Bearon journeyed one winter, to Moscow, to spend some
quality time with his royal relatives.
Funcky Name Origins
Aina Ferris derived the Bearon’s name from her Great Grandfather's (on her father's side) name, which was Baron Alexander von Funck.
Aina's Great Grandfather lived near Riga, Latvia, in the late 1800's. Aina claims he is probably spinning in his grave over the use of his name in such a frivolous manner.
However, her father gave her his blessings to use their old family name for her Funcky Bears.
According to Aina, her creative process ofen takes on a life of its own:
"I make my basic Funcky Bears from the exact same pattern and then "dress" or decorate them
and keep on working until I get that "finished feeling".
Sometimes, I change my mind part way through and take their design in a totally different direction.
Occasionally, they seem to take on a life of their own and I sort of figure it out the final outcome as I go along.
That is the fun part!!"
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Fortunate enough to secure tickets
to the renowned Moscow Ballet, the Bearon barely made it to the theatre
in time.
Hurriedly, he proceeded to his balcony alcove and sat down just as the lights
went dim.
Then, the stage curtains parted and a floodlight revealed the prima ballerina, beautiful Natasha.
The Bearon could not take his eyes off Natasha, the shining star of the stage. By the end of the first scene, he was madly in love!
At intermission, he ordered one hundred red roses to be delivered to her dressing room along with an elegant invitation
to dinner.
Courtship
The Bearon spent the entire winter
with Natasha who had also fallen
deeply in love with him.
One blustery day, on a long carriage
ride, both of them wrapped in elegant furs, the Bearon asked Natasha to marry him and come live with him in his home
on the Steppes.
Natasha accepted his proposal even
though it meant moving away from
the excitement of Moscow, because
she would go anywhere, just to be
with the Bearon.
They had an enormous wedding with
all of the Bearon’s relatives and the
entire Moscow Ballet in attendance.
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Aina Ferris not only loves to weave stories about her creations, she also thinks out of the "box", or, in this case, the frame, when she prepares their presentation. In this "case", she used a shadow box frame in sepia tones and when the lovely couple reside there, they look like they belong in a vintage photograph! |
Everyone danced into the wee hours
of the morning and had great fun!
Eventually, the Bearon decided it was
just too cold in Siberia for his beloved Natasha, even though she never complained.
He emigrated south and settled his family in the forest near Riga, Latvia.
Transitions
As the years passed, the Bearon's
family prospered and his many descendents scattered across
the globe and settled in several
different countries.
In their migrations, the von Funcks,
like many other families with long
names, dropped the "von" from their name and became simply, the Funcky Bear family.
Today’s Funcky Bears hail from all
walks of life.
They have adapted remarkably to their new environments,
blending in with the local traditions and cultures, where ever
they reside. The only similarity between the Funckys now,
is their name.
Even their fur has evolved, and their coats reflect a vast rainbow
of colors, that depends upon the branch of the family, to which
they belong.
While the average Funcky bear is about 7" tall, there are occasional variations in size.
Distant cousins tend to be smaller, of course, because they are
farther away and we all know everything is smaller when
viewed from a distance
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Funcky Town
Here is a selection of my Funcky Bears. From left to right at the base of the tree, Fanny (pink elephant), Zeke and Zak Zebras peaking out from behind Fanny, Shivers (yellow), Bunbun (rabbit), Zulu (brown), Minna (blue), Mittens (pale blue) and Rose (gray elephant. Towering over them on the right is Tibet the Yeti, and Buster is climbing the tree.
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Diversity
As time passed, other animals joined the family, such as Ellie the Elephant,
a Moscow Circus performer.
Ellie met a member of the
Funcky Bear family who
joined the circus to fulfill
his lifelong dream to become
a dancing bear (just like
Natasha).
As fate would have it, they fell in love and married! That is how elephants became
a part of the Funcky Bear Family.
Since then, other types
of critters have joined the family, including horses,
lions, and bunnies.
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Agnes Funcky Bear
This Red Hat Society, over 50 babe, will wear red and purple, live it up and enjoy the ride! Crocheted from hand spun variegated purple wool with red feather adorned embroidered cotton hat, purse, black glass eyes, Fiberfil stuffing.
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Variety Is the Spice of Life!
Today's Funcky Bears are pretty unpredictable in their appearance and even members of the same family may not resemble each other in the slightest!
Back row - Bloo , Redd
Front row - Hannibal/Elephant, Dijon, Sniffles
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3428 Hillvale Road 
