Collectibles

The plush weight and bead-free embroidered face suggest a fairly recent hatching — more of a spring arrival than an old hand on the shelf.

bonnet-proud · quietly watchful · fond of fuss

Sanrio "Ice Island" / Winter Polar Bear Costume 8" My Melody Plush. It features Sanrio's My Melody wearing a fluffy white hooded polar bear suit complete with bear ears, embroidered paws, a heart nose on the hood, and a peach/pink grosgrain bow tie.

His stitched Giorgio Beverly Hills tag reads 1995, marking him a promotional collector's bear near thirty years on.

glamour-tinged · modestly vain · warm-mannered

A 1995 Giorgio Beverly Hills collector's bear in aged cream mohair, wearing a hand-knit red GIORGIO sweater, with suede paw pads and a stitched brand tag on one foot.

His 1986 Gund Collectors Classics tag and Korea-made stitching set him firmly in the late-1980s keepsake bears, with a good three decades of quiet sitting behind him.

mild-mannered · company-keeping · softly observant

A vintage, medium Gund Collectors Classics limited-edition teddy in honey-caramel shag with a suede-brown nose and original blue oval Gund charm at the chest.

That Bukowski Design tag and plush chocolate coat mark him a Scandinavian-styled keepsake of the 2000s, with a fair few quiet hours behind him.

deliberate · fond of a good long ponder

A medium chocolate-brown Bukowski plush bear with a suede muzzle and matching foot-soles, small black bead eyes, and an intact maker's tag.

His trim size and tidy tag put him somewhere in the small-bear boom of the early 2000s, though he's clearly been handled with care the whole way.

dapper · companionable · unruffled

A vintage, seven-inch tan teddy bear with a burgundy velvet bow tie, embroidered paw pads, and an intact "Playful Pals" fabric tag, gently machine washed and in bright, well-kept condition. Made especially for Mervyn's Department Store, circa 1980's/1990's.

Stitched in the mid-nineties — old enough to remember dial-up, soft enough not to care

all ears · always · keeps secrets beautifully

A small jointed Ty Attic Treasures rabbit in blue-grey plush with long white-lined lop ears, white knit paw pads with pink toe stitching, and her original Ty tush tag, lightly steam cleaned.

That paw-print maker's tab and his tidy plush put him in the last handful of years, though he's clearly stood a few watches already.

dutiful · door-minding · softly herding

A small black-and-white border-collie-style plush puppy with two-length shaggy fur, embroidered heart nose, black-clawed felt paw pads, and a paw-print maker's tab at one foot.

From the golden years of the Boyds workshop — call it 25 winters, all of them well-dressed

dresses for the weather · turns to greet you · keeper of small details

Branson is a fully jointed Boyds bear with frosted brown fur, original hang tags, a plum cable-knit turtleneck sweater, and gray houndstooth tweed trousers with an embroidered snowflake pocket.