We’re very excited about a nice, big Charlie Bears delivery that’s winging it’s way to us next week. As usual, lots of the bears will be packed up safely in their boxes and put straight back in the post to the Charlie Bear collectors who have pre-ordered them and have been waiting patiently. But we will have some lovely bears that will have their first chance to be on display on the shop, or make a welcome return.

We will have our first few bears of the new 2010 collection bears which are all destined for new homes with the people who have been waiting patiently for them. Betty, Cooper, Fuddy, Gareth, Graeme, Izzy, Samantha and Seren will make a guest appearance - we can’t wait to get our hands on them - however briefly!

From the mohair Charlie Bears Isabelle Collection we will have available the sweet Pandora with wavy grey fur, honey-beige Curtis, beautiful red panda Dandelion, endearing little sandy-brown Annie and her vintage-look sister, Peggy, cuddly panda Twizzle, standing panda bear Isla and finally, pretty Felicity, who really has to be seen in the fur to be appreciated.

Also back in stock is Kenny the Kermode bear.  Kermode Bears are related to the American Black Bear and live in the British Columbia area of Canada.  One in ten Kermode bears are born with a beautiful creamy white coat and you can see that Kenny is one of those rare bears.  He will be joined by Nicholas - the Daddy of the 2009 Charlie Bears Collection.  Like his predecessors Big Dave and Martha, Nicholas is a great big bear, standing unaided at an amazing 76 centimetres tall!  We love having a big bear in the shop to keep an eye on the other teddy bears and animals!

So it’s a great time to come and visit us in our Swanage Teddy Bear Shop, or take a look at these new arrivals below.

We are very excited to introduce the fantastic Kaycee Bears.  Designed and made by Kelsey Cunningham - a well-known name in the UK teddy bear world - this is Kelsey’s very first collection of plush bears and we are delighted to be one of the very first stockists.

Kaycee teddy bears are made from plush fur with luxurious cashmere pads on their feet.  All of the materials are sourced in the UK and the bears are made by hand by a very small team, including Kelsey’s Mum and Dad!  They are traditionally jointed and each bear features a pretty, trade-mark crystal at the back of their ear.  Kelsey personally finishes all of the bears, including airbrushing and shading. (more…)

We are excited to share with our teddy bear collectors and especially Charlie Bears fans the official launch date of the Charlie Bears 2010 Collection Part 1.

The brand new collection from Charlie Bears will be on our site from midnight on Tuesday the 20th of April (that’s the early hours of Tuesday morning, not Tuesday night!).  That means you will be able to browse all of the new Charlie Bears and place pre-orders for the bears that simply MUST join your hug!

Part One of the Charlie Bears 2010 Collection is a fantastic range of plush teddy bears - (the new mohair Isabelle Collection bears will be released in part two in the autumn).  We can’t tell you any more details about them until the bears are released but, having had a sneak preview, we can definitely confirm that this is the best Charlie Bears collection yet and, as usual, it will be difficult to choose our favourite!

The new Charlie Bears are - Aidan, Angela, Ashley, Becky, Bentley, Betty, Brooklyn, Bruce, Candy, Cinders, Claire, Cooper, Corbin, Fuddy, Gareth, Goldust, Graeme, Griffin, Izzy, Kieran, Laura, Nik Nak, Nora, Paddywack, Paul, Robbie, Rodley, Samantha, Scamp, Seren, Shades, Shaun, Taomi, Taylor, Tom, Trixie, William III, Willis, Wolfgang and Zak.

See you right here at 0000 hours on the 20th of April.  Synchronise watches!

White Rabbit England was brought about by two sisters with a shared memory of their pottery toadstool light that gently lit their childhood bedroom.  Now their beautiful night lights bring comfort to children and soothe them into a good night’s sleep.

Charlotte and Victoria now have children of their own, and wanted to recreate the sense of security and tranquility that their fairy-decorated night light had brought to their bedroom.  Finding nothing similar available, the sisters decided to make their own - and White Rabbit England was created.

Research has shown that as many as 70% of children need a low light source to help them to sleep at night.  White Rabbit Night Lights combine charming, nostalgic designs with safe, low voltage light fittings, giving peace of mind both to sleeping children and their parents.  They are delivered in a gift box, complete with a spare bulb - making a great gift for a birthday or christening and a lovely addition to any child’s bedroom. (more…)

Bearington Bears must surely be the best-dressed of our recent new additions.  Our range includes teddy bears dressed for the beach and for bed, as well as lots of teddy bears and bunny rabbits wearing beautiful dresses and outfits perfect for a spring day.  We even have a choice of bunny rabbits who are chocolate or strawberry scented!  Perfect gifts for Easter as an alternative to short-lived chocolate eggs. (more…)

We have now taken delivery of some fantastic new products from Charlie Bears.  Charlie and Will met the owners of Mel & Steff Dolls during one of their recent visits to Australia as Charlie Bears distribution grows.  They saw the great attention to detail and the high quality of the soft dolls and decided to bring a selection of the ragdolls and gollies to the UK.

Like Charlie Bears, Mel and Steff launch a couple of brand new collections each year, comprising of golly girls and boys, and dolls from around the world.  Each one has a slightly different look, including varying hair-styles and exclusive new outfits.  In many ways they are like Charlie Bears, whose personalities ’speak’ to people in different ways.  They are collectable dolls and recommended for collectors of age fourteen and over. (more…)

Moulin Roty has joined our range this year, after we were really taken by their teddy bears, animals, dolls and other lovely toys when we saw them at the Spring Fair in February

The French toy-maker began as a community of families and friends, who decided to live and work together, renovating a ruined French farm to create workshops and homes.  Their first toys, launched in 1975 were a car made from wood and sponge and a fabric ragdoll. (more…)

Ellie Bears is one of the latest additions to our collection of skilled and varied Teddy Bear Artists.  Like most creators of teddy bears there is a tale behind how this artist began designing and making one of a kind bears and animals and Ellie Covell’s story is a particularly interesting one… (more…)

We have some very exciting news - the fantastic and VERY popular Charlie Bears have just launched a range of gorgeous teddy bear keyrings.  We’re very pleased to be one of the first teddy bear shops to introduce them to you.  We were given hints to expect new things from Charlie Bears this year and were lucky to see these miniature bear keyrings while visiting Charlie and William at the Spring Fair in Birmingham in February.  Since then we’ve had to keep a privileged secret, but now the bears are out!

Each of the ten Charlie Bears keyrings are mini replicas of Charlie Bears that are ‘retired’ - no longer being made.  They truly capture the look and personality of the original bigger bear and will no doubt be irresistible to collectors who have the original in their collection, as well as those who are desperately seeking these rare Charlie Bears.  They will also make perfect presents - at a brilliantly affordable price and no worries about finding space for another bear!  They can be clipped onto keys, handbags, rucksacks and anywhere else you can think of - or sit on display with your bigger bears.

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It is with great pleasure that we introduce our first range of teddy bears, mice, rabbits and other animals and characters from world-renowned teddy bear artist, Deb Canham.  Deb has a huge following of fans who adore her miniature bears, flamboyant dragons and well-dressed animals.

Deb became one of the UK’s first teddy bear artists when she began designing and making her own miniature bears in 1987.  Rapidly Deb became a respected expert in teddy bear artistry, holding lectures, workshops and writing a book on miniature bear making.

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