Students from Hong Hong
exhibit at TEDDYBÄR TOTAL 2024

Alice and Gigi flew all the way from Hong Kong to Germany to receive certificates from Ms Helga, who has inspired Gloria to promoting teddy bear art in Hong Kong since 1997.

Gloria explained that "In 1997, Mrs. Schepp gave me a license to teach the Helga Schepp method of teddy bear making in Hong Kong.

I believed my students would be happier to receive a certificate presented by Helga in person.

Now, whenever we go to Germany, we have a little certificate presentation meeting, which becomes a happy gathering of teachers and students.

My teachers were delighted to meet our young students and brought gifts for them. The students were thrilled to meet established teddy bear artists at the fair and were welcomed with open arms.

The trip was both an adventure and very educational for everyone."

Gigi stands at the display table, with her cute animals that she created.

Gloria is committed to inspiring young students, like Alice and Gigi, who will become the world renowned teddy bear artists in the future.

Gloria has kept promoting teddy bear culture in Hong Kong through training new artists, bringing them to international shows and encouraging them to participate in competitions

to widen their exposure.

The display table was filled with student's creations, and several have entered the 19th Annual URSA Awards Competition.

You can follow the students on St. Hilary's Facebook page

St. Hilary's School is an educational institution with
2 kindergarten, 3 primary schools and 2 high schools in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area of China. The school offers a diverse range of programs including a Sewing Art Classes.

According to Gloria, who is the teacher in charge of
St. Hilary's Outdoor Learning Experiences, the school grants her freedom to plan the syllabus and teach a variety of topics in her classes.

"The pandemic and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine changed a lot. During the two years of lock downs and restrictions, many artists retired from making teddy bears.

We lost Russian artists because of the war. Despite all these circumstances, this year's TEDDYBÄR TOTAL was a step further in recovering.

With some 200 exhibitors from 20 countries, there was a marvelous variety of teddy bear styles united under one roof.

Visitors from all over the world enjoyed our event.

made good use of it.

As more European artists plan to retire in the next few years, it is good to see that there are some fresh young faces among the exhibitors. With our youngest exhibitor from Hong Kong being 11 years old, we are optimistic that teddy bears remain a fantastic hobby for many people; for bear makers as well as collectors.