Miki de Goodaboom

Captain Abearica

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By Miki de Goodaboom

As we drove up to the South of France some weeks ago, we stopped at a highway store to buy some water and discovered very unusual, very cute 33cl bottles from the famous make Fontvella (Danone). They are shaped and brilliantly designed like some kids favourites Marvel Avengers Characters (Thor, Ironman, Captain America) and also the Frozen characters (Elsa, Anna and Olaf).

They are meant for kids aged between 4 and 11, but I can tell you, big kids -such as us- love them too and we bought all of them!

As I came back to Spain, I told a friend in the UK about these bottles. And last week, I had the immense surprise to receive a photo of a Captain America Teddy Bear: my friend has got friends who have a child who received that bear for his birthday recently!

I was over the moon, such a wonderful subject for my “Go Teddy” site, I thought. And of course,  I had to paint that new bear with the Captain America bottle in his hand.

I called the bear “Captain Abearica”.. I hope you get it! If you don’t, wait until you have got a big cold and speak out loud “Captain America”… then you will understand!

Captain Abearica S

 

Group Portrait With Auntie Nelle Teddy Bears

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By Miki de Goodaboom

(Illustration based on a photo by Auntie Nelle)

As Truffle’s Auntie Nelle, from the North of France, heard about “Go Teddy”, aour project to love and protect and paint all the teddy Bears from our world and beyond, she was so kind to send us a beautiful photograph of her 3 bear children.

We were so over the moon!

Then I asked her for the name of her bears, but she said they haven’t got any names! Now she must have her reasons for that, she is a very intelligent person, so she sure knows what she does!

But I could not help calling the little one in the middle, the one wearing the white hoodie, “Capuchino”.. simply because “capuche”, in French, means “hood”!

I had much pleasure painting these new cousins of Truffle, but it was tough. They have all three a very sophisticated fur, with colours difficult to render! And also, one is not so sure where one bear ends and the other begins, but it does not matter, Teddy bears are simply a big lovely family and are all united!

Auntie Nelle Bear Family S

 

A Birthday Clown For Miki De Goodaboom

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By Truffle McFurry

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)
 
Today is my Mom’s birthday! She always loves a happy birthday, loaded with lovely presents and great food and kind birthday greetings, but today will be different. My Mom is so sad, it is breaking my heart…

So yesterday, all my sisters and brothers and mates, we have all broken our Piggy banks to buy a nice present for her. Even our house Minion gave an Euro to it… I do wonder though where it had the Euro from, had he perhaps stolen it and nobody noticed? Anyway, we all wanted to buy for Miki something which would made her laugh. Because as everybody else in this world, my Mom is never more beautiful than when she laughs!!!

And so we found that happy clown by the Chinese shop on the corner… You know, the Chinese are the cheapest, so luckily we could offer it. And then I put clothes on which I know Miki loves (me not that much, they are a bit too girly for a real boy like me…) and we all went to wake up her up today waving the clown at her face and singing “Happy Birthday”.

And it worked: she did laugh!

A Birthday Clown For Miki S

 

Bear With Hard Rock Cafe

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By Miki de Goodaboom

For many years, Truffle’s Dad – Kev Moore, The English Rocker- and me have always visited the local Hard Rock Cafes, whenever there was one where we travelled. We enjoyed looking at all the Memorabilia exhibited in these places, enjoyed the food, and, last but not least, before leaving, the obligatory visit to the shop, in search of some nice commemorative T-Shirt for Kev who is collecting them.
 
And me, from the moment Truffle entered my life, my eyes were only attracted by the Hard Rock Cafe bears… unfortunately, at the beginning, Truffle was very jealous and scared that another Teddy could take his place in my heart, so I never dared getting one. Yes, these jealousy things are so tough to handle, and Teddy bears are no different in that matter! Instead, I tried persuading the shop attendants to sell me the hoodies or shirts they Teddies wore, but they never did: they were only available with the bears.

And now, Truffle has understood that he does not need to be jealous.. but… I doubt I will ever visit a Hard Rock Cafe again! I would love though to paint a series of these bears, so I am asking you all, who have such a Hard Rock Cafe Teddy, and would like to share him and his story with me and Truffle and the world: PLEASE contact us, or leave a photo and the connected story in the comment thread. I would love that so much!

Here is an example of A French Teddy bear from the Hard Rock Cafe in Paris, France…

 

Paris Hard Rock Cafe Bear S

 

Camembear

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By Kev Le Chat

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)

When I was a reasonably typical thoughtless twenty-something, I was hit with something that was hard to comprehend. My Mum was diagnosed with cancer.  Being useless at expressing my feelings properly at the best of times, I did something spontaneous….I bought her a big teddy bear. It was probably a bit mental really, but in fact, felt like the completely natural thing to do, and she kept it in her bedroom always.

When she passed away, it came to me. I don’t know if she never named him, perhaps she did. But I so know that he is a lovely reminder of my Mum, not a painful one. When we visited New Orleans many years later, Miki and I brought him some Mardis Gras beads and some New Orleans Saints sunglasses, shaled like fleur-de-lys. He’s become somehow synoymous with The Big Easy since then! …and the French connection doesn’t end there, because on Planet Goodaboom, he was given a name ( you can’t live there without one) …it is Camembear!

Bear on Bourbon S copy

A Bike For Cousin Marlon Blanco

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By Truffle McFurry

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)

This is a special post for my lovely cousin Marlon Blanco, from the UK. But everybody else can read it, of course!

Last week his Mom, Auntie Ann, sent me a photo of poor Marlon sitting at the bottom of a beautiful crochet bike on the Tour de Yorkshire. He wanted to race the Tour on that bike, but the bike was much too big for him!

I suddenly remembered another lovely bike that I saw In France, during our last trip. A white rabbit was selling it, among other things, at the corner of a street in a village by Albi. If I had known Marlon would want a bike so much, I would have bought it for him. Mind you, everything is so expensive is France, and I have only 2 Euros in my Piggy Bank, sure it would have not been enough!

But I was thinking, if Auntie Ann cannot do a crochet bike for Marlon, and we cannot either, perhaps Marlon’s Dad could make one for him, out of wood, like the French one? And perhaps even In the bright yellow and blue colours of the Tour de Yorkshire?

Anyway, Marlon, Miki painted this bike for you. So, at least you have got one now, even if it is only on the paper! We hope you like it!

xx

Truffle

A White Rabbit On A Bike S

I Love You More Than Chocolate!

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By Miki de Goodaboom
People might have wondered why I am painting Teddy bears. And other toys, and so many of them! They might have thought that I am in fact  “a serious artist”, and wonder what I am doing!
It is not my way to spread  my private life out there, but here, I feel I owe the persons who like me and my art an explanation. It is a story who only a very few people know..
Three years ago I lost my brother and godfather Claude. Suddenly. The ones who went through such a loss know how devastating it is. Yes, I was devastated and I did not know where to find the energy for my own life any more.
This is when my partner Kev Moore went out and came back with that Teddy Bear for me. He was only wearing a little jumper with the words
“I Love you more than chocolate!”
and was looking at me with such immense eyes telling me that he was so sorry, and that he was there for me, always…
He was my first Teddy Bear ever!
I fell in love with that bear and felt indeed an immense comfort. I decided to call him “Truffle McFurry”, because “truffle” in French means as well the nose of an animal as this delicious chocolate sweetie.
And since then, Truffle never left me. And I never left him. When he is by me, Claude is by me too…
And this is why. People might think I have lost my mind to travel around with that little bear, but I have not. I simply love him, and need him, and he always tells me that Claude is still among us… and also that LOVE is around me…
I Love You More Than Chocolate S