Teddy bears

My Teddy And Me 03

/ Miki de Goodaboom / 1 Comment

By Miki de Goodaboom

(Based on an anonymous photo)

 

As I said yesterday, I started a series of paintings, called “My Teddy and Me”. featuring all kind of people -babies, children, adults, old people- in emotional interaction with a Teddy bear.

I love to paint these artworks, as they exactly represent my own connection with Truffle McFurry, and more generally, with all Teddy bears. One of my dreams concerning this site “Go Teddy!” is that people around the world contact me and send me their own photos so that I can work on real personal photos, not being forced to help myself with anonymous photos from the the net.

But well, even anonymous, I am still trying to convey real and very personal feelings through these paintings. In this new one, my intention was to let you in into that deep conversation between that cute baby and his giant Teddy!

 

My Teddy And Me 03 S

 

My Teddy And Me 02

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By Miki de Goodaboom

(Illustration based on an anonymous photo)

 

I recently painted “My Teddy And Me 01”, featuring a baby boy and his teddy as best mates. Well, teddy bears are not only for babies, and I think there is no age to be best mates with your Teddy Bear. My own Teddy Truffle McFurry and me are the best examples!

I think I will paint a series of all kind of people in all ages with their Teddies, as it is a beautiful motif very dear to my heart.

 

My Teddy And Me 02 S

To Cuddle And Dream

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By Miki de Goodaboom

(based on a photograph by Kev le Chat)

One of my star photographers at “Go Teddy!”, Kev Le Chat, spent last week some days in Aue, Germany, and sent me a charming photograph, taken in the corridor just outside his hotel room.

The words on the blackboard, “Zum Kuscheln und Traeumen”, mean “To Cuddle And Dream”. I am wondering if the lovely plush toys are meant to be taken to their rooms by the hotel guests, if they need something like that. If so, what a wonderful idea! One might argue that Teddy Bears and other Plush animals are something very personal, and that it is perhaps not very hygienic to handle them from person to person, but well, many things in our lives are handled from hands to hands and we don’t care… money for example! 🙂

Thanks Kev le Chat, this motif is really a pearl for Go Teddy!

To Cuddle And Dream S

 

My Teddy And Me 01

/ Miki de Goodaboom / 2 Comments

By Miki de Goodaboom

(Illustration based on a photo by Anonymous)

I cam across that photograph on the internet some time ago, as I was searching to buy clothes for my Teddy Bear Truffle McFurry. I think I found it in a Teddy shop, but I don’t know any more. Therefore I am very sorry not to be able to give the credit to the photographer!

Anyway, the image touched me very deeply and I had to paint it. It conveys exactly what I feel about Truffle, and more generally about all Teddy Bears: unconditional love, tenderness, intimacy, closeness, friendship, complicity, presence, faithfulness, fun and so much more.

I would adore to paint more motifs from that style, children with their Teddies, adults with their Teddies, pets with their Teddies, teddies with their Teddies… so please, if you have some nice photograph featuring such things, share them with me!

 

My Teddy And Me S

Rupert And Rupert

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By Miki de Goodaboom

(Illustration based on photos sent by a Go Teddy’s Follower from the UK)

I recently had the immense surprise to receive 2 photos from somebody in the UK who has started following Go Teddy. Both photos were featuring “Rupert”, in very different forms.

Now, I said it before, I was introduced to Teddy Bears very late in my life, and consequently my Teddy bear culture is quite poor. But I am working at it, and I hope that Teddy Bear lovers around the world will help me knowing as much as possible about Teddy Bears. Some are already doing, and my  Truffle McFurry and Me  are very thankful to them…

I did not know Rupert, and I had to research him. Wikipedia told me many interesting things about him. Basically, Rupert Bear is a children’s comic strip character created by the English artist Mary Tourel and first appearing in the Daily Express newspaper on 8 November 1920. Interesting is that originally, Rupert is depicted as a brown bear, but his colour soon changed to white to save on printing costs!

Now this person from the UK sent me a photo of his Rupert Teddy Bear, a white Bear. And he sent me a photo of a very special brown Rupert, to be found in Linford Park Wood, Milton Keynes.

So I decided to paint them both together in that beautiful wood… and here they are!

Rupert And Rupert S

Doggy Guitar

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By Miki de Goodaboom

The other day when I travelled back home from Benidorm on the Costa Blanca  (Spain), I had to stop at a petrol station by Murcia, as a storm was suddenly going on. Giant water drops were falling from the sky and the wind was becoming a hurricane, and I thought it was safer to stop and wait.

I entered the bar from the petrol station, and there I had the surprise to attend a jam session. A dog was playing the guitar and a beautiful white Teddy bear was sitting by him, enjoying the music.

Later they told me that they were together on their way to a rock music festival in Portugal. The dog was apparently a famous  musician called “Doggy Guitar”, based on the western character Johnny Guitar whom he loved. And the Bear was his Roadie. I am ashamed to say that I forgot to ask his name. I must have been under the spell of Doggy Guitar’s music, as I normally never forget to ask a Teddy Bear for his name!

Doggy Guitar S

The Doo Doo Bears

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By Miki de Goodaboom

 

Truffle Mcfurry and me  recently spent some days at my parents’ in Benidorm, on the Costa Blanca in Spain. And as we both love to see how Teddy Bears look like in the places we visit, we went on Teddy Bear photo safari. Also sometimes, we might find some who need to be rescued and adopted!

This is when I saw “The Doo Doo Bears”. To be completely honest they are called “Dou-Dou”, but I prefer the double “oo”, because it looks funnier and also to make sure that English people speak it the right way. It would be terrible if they called them Dou-Dou, like in “trout!!!

Truffle and me fell totally in love with the Doo Doo Bears, they are so immensely cute and cuddly! Truffle wanted one for himself, with his name embroidered on it. He said this would certainly help him falling asleep when he has got insomnia, and he would even share it with me when necessary. But he had been naughty with the Mime shortly before  and I did not get him one.

Well, I should have known better, I am upset now, I would love to have one in our bed!

PS: … and yes, you understood it correctly, Truffle sleeps with me…

Doo Doo Bears S

The Mime From Benidorm

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By Truffle McFurry

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)

 

My Mom Miki and me, we recently spent some days by my grandparents, in Benidorm, on the Costa Blanca in Spain. Miki wanted to go on Teddy Bear photo Safari down-town, and of course I went with her.

There I suddenly saw a statue on the middle of the street, wearing a beautiful pink long dress and a pink hat. I asked Miki about the statue. She explained to me that it was not a statue, that it was a real person. That such a person is called “A Mime”, and the aim is to stand or sit there, without moving at all , like a statue, looking beautiful and getting money for it. I observed it a while, and indeed people were stopping and putting money in the box.

Well, I thought, I can do that too! Teddy Bears are great at not moving, and Miki tells me all the time how beautiful I am. And anyway I was wearing blue clothes, I thought it would look pretty with the pink from the mime. Blue for the boy, pink for the girl! So I went and sat in front of the Mime, didn’t move at all, looked beautiful, and waited. I thought this way we could sure earn more money, and we could split it.

But then, after a little while Miki, busy somewhere else, noticed me there and screamed. The Mime  was looking at me with very angry eyes in the middle of her white face. She had just opened her eyes, more was she not allowed to move, you know… Miki grabbed me by my nose and put me back in her bag. I  heard her apologising by the Mime, who did not answer at all . Such an impolite creature! Miki was quite upset with me and explained to me that one does not do such things with Mimes!

Well, I have no idea why, and Miki said I am too young to understand! But many people had gathered there to look at us, I am sure they would have eventually thrown money into the box. But we were already gone, it is so unfair!

And you know what: when I look carefully at the Mime’s face, I think she was not a girl at all! So, on top of it, I think she was cheating! Miki often says that honesty does not always pay… I understand now what she means!

 

The Mime From Benidorm S

William

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By Ann La Mar, from the UK

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)

William came to live with us in 1996. I remember this because he came with our new car,  a Vauxhall Corsa, which was a special edition for the Euro 96 Football Tournament.

William’s  name is after my grandfather who in 1996 celebrated his 100th birthday. He had a lovely party and received a telegram from Her Majesty The Queen.

William has lived in Spain since 2009 along with his brothers Churro and Benjamin..

PS: Miki hopes she won’t be put in jail for forging Queen’s signature in the painting!!!

 

William S

I Want To Lay You Down In A Bed Of Roses

/ Miki de Goodaboom / 1 Comment

By Miki de Goodaboom

I was recently watching a  dramatic German TV film, about a young girl surviving a car accident in which she lost her mother. As she never knew her father, she was first taken in by her grand-parents, but the girl was too much trouble and the grand-parents could not deal with it. So the best friend of the girl’s mother, a married man, decided to take her home. But the troubles went on, even worse as the girl was jealous of the man’s wife.  At some point, no more knowing what to do with her, he went to her old house and got her beloved Teddy Tear, which had been left behind in the whole chaos following the accident. He brought Teddy to the girl, hoping that he at least could help her.

But some hours later, as  he entered her room, he saw the bear lying there, abandoned as if dead, and she  totally disconnected, lost in her thoughts from another world where there was no place any more for her Teddy bear.

Well, this image hurt me immensely, so much more than any of the tough scenes I had seen in the film. It just broke my heart. To me it was the strongest symbol of the girl’s despair. When Teddy can’t help any more, then nothing else can help… I know exactly that if the day comes when I won’t be bothered any more about my dear Truffle McFurry , then my life will stop.

I know it is a heavy subject, but I had to paint it and to write about it. And as it often happens when I paint, Teddy was suddenly lying on a red surface and Bon Jovi’s song came instantaneously to my head. For the next few days I could not stop hearing it haunting my inner space:

“…
I want to lay you down in a bed of roses
For tonight I sleep on a bed of nails
I want to be just as close as the Holy Ghost is
And lay you down on a bed of roses …”

I Want To Lay You Down On A Bed Of Roses Bis S