TeddyBearResource.com

Invicta Toys was founded in 1935 by two former employees of J.K. Farnell, G.E. Beer and T.W. Wright who was a director and sales representative at Farnell. They operated out of a factory at Park Royal Road in North West London and produced a large range of wheeled and traditional teddy bears and soft toys including animals on wheels, bears, dogs, cats, monkeys and much more. Three of the more popular Invicta teddy bears were Teddy, Sammy and Grizzlie. They ceased production of the animals to produce military equipment and weapons for World War II. After the war, they started to produce bears for export. Mr. Beer retired in 1954 and the company shut down.

Peacock & Co. or Peacock And Sons was established in London in 1953 and produced wooden kindergarten toys and games such as educational maps, puzzle and building and alphabet blocks. They registered as William Peacock and Co. in 1908 and in 1918 changed their name to Peacock and Co. Ltd. Chad Valley bought the company in 1931 and started producing a line of bears under the Peacock label from its factory in Clerkenwell, London at the Harborne works. Peacock bears were discontinued after World War II.

Typical features of Peacock teddy bears include:
black horizontally stitched noses
large cupped ears
large chest
long arms
four stitched claws on foot pads
drumstick legs
red and white printed Peacock label on foot pad

Harwin & Co. was one of the first British teddy bear manufacturers. They started their factory in 1914 at the Eagle Works in Finsbury Park, London, and produced many animals and dolls. The first bears were made in 1915, and at the London Fair in 1916 launched a series of mascot Ally Bears dressed in the uniforms of the allied forces of World War I. The sales manager, Mr. Taylor, used to be a traveling salesman for the German bear manufacturer Steiff, hence the similarities between the bears. Harwin & Co. closed down in 1930, affected by the postwar depression.

Harwin’s Ally bears were the most famous bears they made and are very rare and collectible. One example is Lord Kitchener, who was dressed in the uniform of a World War I British officer. The Ally bear is fully jointed, has black button eyes, gold mohair, felt paw pads and stitched claws.

Steevans bears were made starting around 1908 until 1920. Steevans produced mostly bears that had musical chimes inside the body. They were originally labeled with a metal tag inside the ear with the words “Steevans, England” and a serial number embossed in it. These bears are very rare and hard to find. At least two labeled bears have been recorded to date with some other unmarked teddy bears suspected of being Steevans bears. Typical Steevans teddy bears had hard stuffing, black boot button eyes, rose pink mohair, horizontal nose stitching and black stitched claws on the paws and feet.

Joan Hanna is a teddy bear artist from County Cork and the first bear artist from Ireland. In her teens she made stuffed toys and in 1990 formed Craft-T-Bears. Tufty is one of Joan Hanna’s more popular teddy bears.

Hovvigs bears are made by Danish teddy bear artist Yvonne Graubaek out of the north coast of Sjaelland. Before becoming a teddy bear artist she was a master furrier. Billy Bear is one of her more famous one of a kind teddy bears.

Sue Schoen has been making teddy bears since 1986, producing limited editions and standard bear lines, many with Welsh names. She operates under the name Bocs Teganau, which means toy box.

Ginger T. Brame is a teddy bear artist from Raleigh, North Carolina and makes bears under the name The Piece Parade. She made her first bear in 1985. Each bear is made with either imported fur, mohair, Ultrasuede, or wool felt with a jingle bell around the neck, sewn in label and starts out in pieces. Most are one of a kind bears with no two exactly alike.

Popular Ginger T. Brame bears include Bumblebear which comes in three sizes and is made of black and gold mohair. She also makes scrapbook bears, bloons, fairies, junkyard sprites, bears and boxes and other teddy bears in various sizes from 4 inches to 12 inches.

Barbara Sixby is a teddy bear artist from California that has been designing bears since 1982. One of her more famous bears is Boone, a teddy bear recreated after the 18th century American frontiersman Daniel Boone. Only two of these bears were made.

Barbara Sixby also makes Zucker Bears, many in limited editions and highly collectible.

Steve Schutt, an art teacher from Clarion, Iowa, began making bears in 1980 and later became a teddy bear artist making bears under the name “Bear-’s'-ence.” He has won prestigious awards for his work, Tyler and Pawpet. Barbara Smith, his assistant, has cut and sewn for him since 1983.