teddybear

teddybear

Most collectors know that the 'teddy bear' originated with President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt. In 1902 he was out shooting in Mississippi and was offered a bear cub tied to a tree. Refusing to kill a defenceless animal, he ordered it to be released. Subsequently, a cartoon depicting the incident, drawn by Clifford K Berryman, appeared in the Washington Post.

 An enterprising shopkeeper requested the President's permission to call some toy bears 'Teddy's Bears', and they proved popular. In Germany, toymaker Margaret Steiff was inspired to make plush poseable bears for the 1903 Leipzig toy fair, where they were seen by an American importer, who immediately ordered several thousand to keep abreast of the 'TeddyBear' craze. (Previously, toy bears tended to be fierce creatures posed on four legs, not sitting, friendly creatures.)

teddybear

If you're planning a teddybear's picnic with young children then it's easy to find  toys to use. You can cheat and sit bears around a hamper, or you can seek out related toys. Clockwork toys have possibilities. Thousands of ingenious wind-up or battery- operated novelties have been produced over the years, some with a definite 'picnicky' feel. 

  An amusing bear, seated on a lithographed tin picnic hamper, carefully pours his soft drink from a bottle into a cup. As he sips, his eyes light up, giving the impression that his bottle contains something far stronger! 

This Picnic Bear, made in Japan by Alps, was one   of the many clever battery-operated toys that emerged in the 1950s and '60s. Vectis recently sold one of these bears, complete with attractive box, for £90

, so at the moment these types of toys are fairly affordable.

teddybear

 A similar, Russian-made bear, operated by a clockwork mechanism, has acquired a barrel of honey. He growls, rotates and lifts his barrel to his mouth when he is wound up.

Not only bears enjoy picnics; many types of creatures pack up a thermos and a pile of sandwiches and head for the nearest beauty spot - at least, if children s books are anything to go by. One of the earliest, Wills and Hepworth Ladybird books was The Bunnikins Picnic Party, first published in 1940, and reprinted many times.

 It recountec in verse the tale of five fun-loving rabbits,  and was written and illustrated by A J Macgregor. Ladybird books were priced at half-a-crown (12p) in 1940, and kept to the same price till the late 1950s.

Writer and artist Margaret Tarrant produced delightful books for children, which were set in the countryside. Her delicate illustrations often depicted woodland creatures dining al fresco. In a similar vein was Molly Brett, who tended towards brighter colours, but also portrayed animals at picnics. Books by both these artists are becoming collectable.

teddybear

Dolls, too, like nothing better than to dine off dainty tea sets at an outdoor spread. The 1980's Mattel Lady Lovelylocks dolls even included a special 'picnic dress' among the outfits.

 Doll's tea-sets have been popular for decades, and many sport delightful nursery prints. Sometimes they are made by famous manufacturers - at Windsor Castle is a magnificent Sevres set which was created for a pair of French dolls presented to the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose in the 1930s. Often tea-sets are made from tin, plastic or even glass and can make interesting collectors' items.