A New Teddy In Town

[teddy_radiator]

oday, TheHubs™ and I took off and went 'rooting', which was a friend of mine's term for thrift store crawling. We stopped by a couple of antique stores, despaired at the prices they were asking, and decided to go to a Goodwill store we've never been to before. It was a large space, thankfully air conditioned (which some of the antique stores we visited were not, heavens), and we had a good old look around. It wasn't too crammed with stuff, and the prices were exceptionally good, not like the one in our home town, where they seem to think they have to charge ebay prices for everything. We found a couple of odds and ends, including a spiffy RCA Victor record player, which sadly had an irreparably broken arm, but looked so swish I almost bought it just for the cool factor. After we had paid for a couple of bits and pieces, we passed by a set of four huge dump bins full of stuffed toys, marked 50 Cents each, or 3 for $1.00. TheHubs™ has a weakness for cuddly toys, so naturally he picked up one. When we started really looking at them, we realised these were not just a bunch of tired, beat-up children's toys; these were very nice, plush animals that all looked either brand new or hardly touched. We think they may have been donated from a distribution center or a toy store. Each one was clean as a whistle and of very high quality.

We were admiring an adorable little pot-bellied polar bear when TheHubs™ dug deep into one of the bins and produced this fellow:



He's a 2000 FAO Schwartz bear, with jointed limbs, a very straight back (with the slightest hump), and a threaded nose. He's got a lovely, dignified smile, he's fresh as a daisy, and looks like he's never been touched. His caramel-coloured fur is immaculate and lamb-curly, and he's quite a tall, dignified fellow. We had to root around in the car to find another quarter to pay for him, but I knew at once he had to come home with us. Once we got him home, TheHubs™ looked him up, and he's not worth a huge amount, but he is collectible and worth quite a bit more than the 50 cents we paid for him.

I've decided he will make a really lovely Steampunk Teddy. I hope to fit him with a pair of brass goggles, a coat and metal wings like the one in my logo, which I actually found here on Live Journal. He is made by a Russian teddy bear maker, and was created around the time I actually took on the name Teddy Radiator, even though I didn't know it. I wrote to her and asked if it was still okay to use him as a logo, but she hasn't written back, and her LJ page is totally in Russian, so I think the language barrier may be a problem on both ends.

After yesterday's wonderful surprise with the Teddy at MISTI-Con, I decided that I wanted to make my own version of Teddy Radiator. I'm still just marveling over that, folks. I mean, these people were on their holiday, enjoying their friends and having a good time, and they took time out from their own fun to do this awesome thing for me. It still has me shaking my head in admiration and gratitude.

We are going to keep our eye on this Goodwill; if these are the types of plush toys they regularly get, I may well stock up on them for presents. They really were a cut above.

Comments

[ex-logospil.livejournal.com]

Steampunk Teddy is awesome! :-)

[teddyradiator.livejournal.com]

Well, it takes awesome to know awesome - you looked absolutely stunning as Silverheart, you know. I think you and 'Teddy' looked quite harmonious together. ♥

[ex-logospil.livejournal.com]

*BLUSHES* *cries*

Thank you so much for your kind words about my Silverheart... That character means so much to me. And I loved Teddy! I think it consoled a lot of people who were missing you ♥

[delphipsmith]

I've decided he will make a really lovely Steampunk Teddy. I hope to fit him with a pair of brass goggles, a coat and metal wings like the one in my logo, which I actually found here on Live Journal. -- OMG that will be so cute!!

[beffeysue.livejournal.com]

I love your Goodwill Teddy. You have so much good karma, it stands to reason that all this wonderful creature would be patiently waiting for you and TheHubs™ to find him.

{{{hugs}}}

[eoforyth.livejournal.com]

I know how you feel. I missed WorldCon in London last year due to the tumour and was pretty miserable in hospital, but Brian and Catherine bought a notebook and wandered around hoping to get a few autographs and well wishes to cheer me up. Okay, a book with a cast resin cover is a bit too hard to cuddle up to, but all the good thoughts, poems/songs and sketches made me feel so much better (even if I couldn't really see much of it).

I'm sure your bear will look (even more) terrific once you get him done up in his new gear :)

[mimimanderly.livejournal.com]

*Nods* Goodwill does indeed sometimes get a load of new stuff from shops or distributors. Your Goodwill seems a better class than the ones in my area. I have to go a number of miles to the one around the Whole Foods to get the "good stuff". I guess you have to profile the neighborhood it's in, just as I do with garage sales. I tend to avoid "antique shops"; by calling themselves that, they seem to feel entitled to charge more than something is worth, yet most of what they have looks just the same as the stuff in the second-hand shops. (Not all of them, mind you, are so opportunistic. But the antique stores that are actually antique stores are too rich for my blood, anyway, so they are best avoided on those grounds).

[stgulik.livejournal.com]

Hey, I would gladly make room for a stuffed toy personally selected by you and The Hubs. :-) My mom and I go "rooting" whenever I go down to visit her. I'll start keeping an eye out for teddy bear jackets and aviator accessories. Who knows, maybe the perfect scarf is waiting over here on the coast.

[arynwy.livejournal.com]

You made a fabulous find. Your new teddy runs about $24-28 on average at the moment. He's going to make a lovely Steampunk Teddy.

[toblass.livejournal.com]

I emailed you a link to a forum thread where someone asked about constructing steampunk goggles for a teddy bear.