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Yorkie

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By Ann La Mar

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)

 

While having a bear break ( like a coffee break with the calming addition of bear research) I came across a bear with the sweetest face. He immediately melted my heart.
He was on an auction site so I had to wait some days before I knew for sure he was mine.

I couldn’t wait for the postman to bring him. He was travelling from London back home to North Yorkshire where he started out. Once out of his brown paper he was the sweetest little bear ever. He has a coat of arms on his foot which says City of York. I think this is for the City Council. I guess he was made to commemorate something but I have yet to find out what. He has a tag which says Stonegate Teddy Bears, this is a wonderful bear shop in York.
I wondered if he had a name as it would have been nice to have continuity. I contacted his previous owner who told me he had no name. That is so sad. I decided to call him “Yorkie” after the chocolate bar that was once made there by Rowntree’s.
Yorkie has settled in with all his bear brothers and sisters and is much loved.

 

Yorkie S

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Children In Need

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By Truffle McFurry

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)

Today I am doing something very important! I am sitting with Pudsey and other little bears to collect money for the Children In Need!

I met Pudsey the first time at Newby Hall, as we were visiting all the bears from Gyles Brandreth. He was already collecting money there, he is so generous!

I did not have a white thing with red dots to put on around my head like Pudsey, so I tore up a piece of my red trousers with the white hearts. I hope it will work too and people will give much money for the poor children!

Love you all

Truffle

Pudsey And Truffle McFurry For Children In Need S

We Love Paddington Movies

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By Truffle McFurry

(Illustration by Miki De Goodaboom)

A long time ago I told you about Euston, our little bear from Paddington Bear’s family, who arrived all the way alone from England. We all had many discussions to find the right name for him, he wanted to be called “Paddington” too, but my Mom Miki said we could not do it, because there is only one Paddington.

But now we have it, he is called “Euston”. Because he took the train at Euston Station in London, to come to us in Spain.

We have watched together the first Paddington movie, we love it so much! And now we can’t wait to see the new one, everybody says it is great. My parents said we will look at it for Christmas. What a wonderful Christmas gift for the whole family!

Love you all

Take care

Truffle xxx

 

We Love Paddington S

I Am A Witch

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By Truffle McFurry

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)

Hello everybody!

The other day Auntie Ann La Mar went shopping for her Christmas tree in England, and she came back with lots of photos of very beautiful Christmassy stuff. She sent them to us, we were over the moon, it really was as if it was Christmas already!

There were some witches, they looked fabulous. Auntie Ann told us that they were the witches of Pendle. I thought witches are all bad, but one of them looked quite nice. I asked my Mom Miki to paint me as one of his witches, together with the nice witch.

She said:

“I am not sure I am allowed to do so, Truffy… because of the copyright thing…”

She explained to me once what a thing it is, that copyright. I have forgotten. Anyway I asked her 100 of times again, until she said yes!

“Truffy, if they put me in jail, it will your fault!”

Would they put my Mom in jail because she painted that lovely painting of me? Surely not! And if they do, I will go down to the street, with all my brothers and mates, and make a big revolution to free her!

Take care

Truffle xxx

The Witches Of Pendle S

 

 

Mr Bean’s Teddy

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By Miki de Goodaboom

I was once a big fan of Mr Bean, one of the rare TV comic figures who did manage to make me laugh. There are not so many!

These days, I did not know Teddy Bears, I had not met my Truffle McFurry yet, and had had none as a child. I certainly did not get it with the Teddy Bear love, and to my deep shame today, I even ignored them. Which is why I did not even know that Mr Bean’s best friend was his Teddy Bear “Teddy”!

Here is what I found about him on the “Mr Bean Wiki”:

“…Teddy (born in August 15) is Mr. Bean‘s teddy bear, generally regarded as Mr Bean’s best friend. The bear is a dark brown, knitted oddity with button eyes and sausage-shaped limbs, invariably ending up broken in half or in various other states of destruction and disfiguration. Although Teddy is inanimate, Mr Bean occasionally pretends it is alive. For example, when Mr Bean hypnotises Teddy, he snaps his fingers and the bear’s head falls backwards as if it has fallen asleep instantly (Bean used his finger to prop Teddy’s head up). Certainly, Bean behaves as if the bear is real, buying it a Christmas present or trying not to wake it in the mornings. The bear is often privy to Mr. Bean’s various schemes and doubles as a good dish cloth or paint brush in an emergency; it has been decapitated (“Mr. Bean in Room 426”) and shrunk in the wash (“Tee Off, Mr. Bean”). In the animated series, he has a girlfriend. It is actually Irma Gobb’s teddy (Lottie), which doesn’t appear in the original series.

Over the years, Teddy has undergone several changes. When it debuted on The Trouble with Mr. Bean, it had a smaller head. Two episodes later, its head reached its current size, but its “eye” wasn’t present until Bean placed gold thumb tacks on its face. The “eyes” have since been replaced with two small white buttons sewn over Teddy’s face, giving it a distinct image…”

Well, I  guess I will have to look at Mr Bean again. I do need to see him with teddy. In the meanwhile I have painted them together… based on toys, which were given to me last year…

Mr Bean And Teddy S

 

 

 

Aunties Lola De Goodaboom And Fanny De Bearymoore

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By  Miki de Goodaboom

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)

As I said it in my previous post about Teddies Lily Lavender and Blessed baby Christine, I fell in love at once with the Boyds bears. I started hunting for them on the net, and found out that there were so many, and so cute! Unfortunately most of them live in the USA, and to get them to Spain, is very expensive. But by birthday was coming these days, and it became a Boyds bear feast!

Here is the first I bought myself. originally called “Auntie Lola Boyds”. I  kept the vorname as I found it very well fitting. Also, her being already of advanced age, she could not get used to a new name. But her family name changed, she is a “De Goodaboom”, like all bears coming from my self. She arrived all the way from the USA, flying all alone in a plane!

The second one is Aunt Fanny Freemont-Boyds, renamed “Auntie Fanny De Bearymoore”, as she was a birthday gift from my partner and “Go Teddy” reporter Kev Moore, alias “Kev le Chat”. She came from the UK.

Now they both live on Planet Goodaboom, and spend their time chatting together, probably telling each other stories from home and from their long life… I wished I could understand their language!

Aunties Lola De Goodaboom And Fanny De Bearymoore S

Lily Lavender De Boomerann And Christine De Lafontaine

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By Ann La Mar & Miki de Goodaboom

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)

Ann La Mar:

“After a day in the house I felt I needed some air and some shopping so I decided to incorporate it with a little bear hunt. I decided I would look in the shop where I bought Alphonse. Miki was having a really bad day so I told her what I was going to do. She asked me to look out for a bear for her saying ‘I really need a bear right now’  she gets so much comfort from them. I really hoped I would find the ‘right one’ for her.
I went into the first two shops…nothing, then I went to the ‘house of Alphonse’ …nothing. Next I went to a local shopping centre and thought I will try ‘the house’ of Fluffle (another bear I have)….no bears at all. I decided to go a different way home to pass through Yarm and visit ‘the house of Noel’ ( a bear I got for Miki), they had bears in here but not the right bear… I would know it as soon as I saw it. I then walked to another shop I’ve never been in before as I had seen a huge Paddington there as I was driving past the previous week. Outside there was a basket with an assortment of bears and other creatures I dug deep into the basket and pulled out the most beautiful white bear. She  had a little mauve bow in her fur and was wearing pretty floral dungarees. Her fur was so soft and white as a lily, her features so fine and elegant. This was the bear for Miki without doubt. I immediately thought Lily Lavender for her name but it wasn’t my bear I would put it to her later. I was so thrilled I had found her because I really wanted Miki to smile this day.

I went home delighted with my purchase. I couldn’t wait to tell Miki…I took some photos and wrote to her spinning it out….at the very end I told her and sent the pictures….she told me ‘ She is so adorable… she makes me feel alive again’ Her reaction, just what I was hoping for.
  I told her what had come to me about a name, she loved it. Unbeknown to me Miki’s  grandmother was called Lily. She was very close to her they had a special bond so this was a beautiful connection. I was so happy.

Very soon Lily will be going on a plane  to join Miki and the ever growing Planet  Goodaboom family.

At the end of the day Miki said I had helped her find her way again…that made my day. My work was done….until the next bear hunt! ”

 

Miki de Goodaboom:

“The day I saw Lily was the time I ever saw a Boyds bear, and I fell in love immediately. It was the beginning of a long Boys love story, which is far to be finished. Ann and me are still in love with them, especially the white ones.

As Lily was a gift from Ann, I called her “Lily Lavender de Boomeran”, Boomerann being the name of the planet on which lives Ann La Mar.

One week later, Ann found another white Boyds bear at the same place, “Blessed Baby-Bear-Boyds”. Another little beauty! As my Mom saw the photo of her, she wanted me to have the same. So I hunted for the Blessed Babybear through the cyber-world, and finally found her in the USA. She flew all the way from there to Planet Goodaboom, and lives now happily among all her new brothers and sisters.

Her being a gift from my Mom, her name is now ‘Christine De Lafontaine”, “Lafontaine” being the name of the planet on which my Mom lives.. and Christine? It is simply a bit like me…”

 

Lily Lavender De Boomerann And Christine De Lafontaine S

 

 

Comtessine Coccinella De Lafontaine

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By Miki de Goodaboom

 

Stage 5 of  “The Tour of Teddies”.

As my Mom saw Comtessine Tivolie, she fell in love with her at once, and wanted to know if Tivolie has got sisters and brothers. She said:

“She is an aristocrat, you know, she needs some aristocratic company!”

And there she was, my 92 year old Mom, searching the net for Tivolie’s relatives! She found a lot, and eventually she ordered for me 4 Sisters for Comtessine!

I am not sure I will have time to paint them all, so many other bears have been waiting for their turn to be immortalised for a much longer time.

But here is “Comtessine Coccinella”, wearing a Lady Bug costume. All my Comtessines are in disguise  by the way… I wonder if they are a bit embarrassed to be aristocrats… Coccinella is at our home in good company with some others from her kind… I am not sure they are Ladybugs too, or some extraordinary mutation, but my Comtessine feels very well among them all!

 

Comtessine Coccinella S

Comtessine Tivolie De Lafontaine

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By Miki de Goodaboom

 

Stage 4 of  “The Tour Of  Teddies” leads me to teddy “Comtessine Tivolie De Lafontaine”, originally called “Happy Ziggy Chicky”.

I adopted her during my painting trip to Copenhagen in May 2017, while I was visiting the famous attraction park ‘Tivoli Gardens”. I was immensely happy to meet her there, as I had not seen many teddies in Copenhagen.

She was born in Sweden, at Barbara Bukowski’s house.

She is a birthday present from my Mom.

She looks like an aristocratic Teddy,  hence the name “Comtessine”. The family name “De Lafontaine” is the name which have all the Teddies given to me by My Mom. Her own family name (my too) is “Fonvielle”, which means something like “Old Source”. A “fontaine” is a source… So, ‘De Lafontaine” is the “aristocratisation” of Fonvielle, somehow…  and a wink  to our famous fabulist and poet “Jean De La Fontaine”, who wrote these wonderful animal fables.

Comtessine Tivolie wears a chicken costume. She wanted to take a “chicken bath”, to know how it is to be a real chicken, so she asked me to bring her to a poultry yard. It was not the best idea ever, I felt that poor Contessine was a bit scared there by all the noisy clucking and weird looks she got. Chicken are not silly, you know, and despite her disguise, they did get that she was not really one of theirs!

Comtessine was glad then to be back home among all her brothers and sisters!

Comtessine Tivolie S

Elise And Eloise

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By Miki de Goodaboom

 

On my 2 week Tour of my Teddy Bears Art, I have arrived to the end of stage 3 . After Shakesbear and Napoleon Bearnaparte, the Tour took me to Elise and her grand-Ma Eloise, my two wonderful Settler Bears from Australia.

As I saw that collection on the net, I feel in love with them at once. They look so cute and mental at the same time!  I love their fur, so wild, and so soft. Somehow I recognised myself in them, with my hair always wild, hardly ever able to get combed in the right place, like a real lady should wear her hair,  but following all wind directions at the same time. I just wished it was as soft as theirs!

My Mom call them the “Espeluadas”, a word from her South French dialect. It means something like “with hair all over the place”. She says, there exists no word in French to describe them so accurately. I agree with her.

These two really don’t need hair gel to get their hair all punky!

As Ann La Mar -our  Go Teddy star reporter- saw the painting of Elise and her Grand-Ma Eloise, she wrote:

“… Wow they are beautiful…they look so well together…it is like they are reminiscing and sharing memories…”

They do indeed… and surely they are very exciting memories from their life in Australia!

Elise And Eloise S