Two years ago I discovered
Charlie Bears. I actually still remember the moment I first saw one one the internet.
I should pause here & explain that I'm not the bear collecting type, or even that into bears at all to be honest! But you must trust me when I say that these bears truly are something else entirely.
Charlie Bear was founded by Charlotte & William Morris in November 2005 & they launched their first collection in February 2006.
The bears are each fully jointed & some have magnetic hands that can be positioned either together or on their faces, each comes with it's own 'birth certificate' & a collectable canvas bag. I'm also fairly that each bear comes with a bell hung around it's neck?
Each bear is completely handmade, from the cutting of the fabrics to stitching each nose, meaning the attention to detail is absolutely exceptional.
There are two bear houses, one in Cornwall, UK & one in Victoria, Australia, you can't buy directly from the bear houses but there are plenty of stockists in Australia. It can be tricky if you are looking for a particular bear & you want to see it in person first, obviously it is a little easier if you are happy to buy online. They vary in price but most come in between $50 - $130, not including limited edition bears. There are also smaller bears & a baby range that are even more budget friendly but personally I think these mid range (in both price and size) bears are the best.
Being both very nicely weighted & fully jointed gives them lots of extra cuddle factor!
Each bear is made in a limited quantity, usually between 250- 3000 bears & then retired.
This means that they can also become a valuable investment, as demonstrated by 'Cheesecake' (pictured second last), a 2009 limited edition bear of whom only 300 were made. They originally retailed at about $220 however since being retired, on the very rare occasion that they do come up for sale it is in excess of $1300. Crazy eh?
There are Charlie Bears that are made to have their mouths open & I don't really like those as I think they are a little strangely comical but everything else about them, in my opinion, is spot on.
My favourites are easily those with the more elongated, realistic looking noses.
We bought 'Diesel' (pictured last) for Master C as his special bear, he was a little hard to find since we decided on him & then had to seek him out but thankfully we found one before they were retired & avoided paying the increased cost.
We bought a Charlie bear for our niece when she was born, as well as for 2 children of very dear friends as 'welcome' presents. We will definitely be continuing the tradition with any future children of our own. *
They are the perfect gift for a new arrival as they really are the kind of bear that you will likely keep for a lifetime & pass on to your own children.
Our 'Diesel' has since been renamed 'Easel' due to some pronunciation confusion & is a firm favourite for both games & snuggles.
The hardest thing is choosing just one!
Cx
* See what I'm doing here? Planning my collection under the pretense they are for my children? I'm sneaky like that sometimes... shhhh no one will ever know...
