Steiff Vintage

The Teddy Bear Man

For me it started many years ago, my addiction to Teddy Bears that is. 

To be a Teddy Bear Collector these days is more or less acceptable, especially as the Press has reported Old Teddy Bears selling for massive amounts, it is not looked upon as a little bit eccentric as it was in the past.

This article is dedicated to a man who tipped the world of Teddy Bears upside down, changing people's attitude towards the Teddy Bear and bringing the love for your Teddy Bear out in the open, his name – Peter Bull.

Peter Bull was a character actor whose fame included parts in films such as the Russian ambassador in Dr. Strangelove and the Captain in The African Queen.  Peter Bull also appeared in many stage and theatre productions in both London and New York.

At the age of 16, Peter returned home from a term at boarding school only to find that his Mother had given his beloved childhood Teddy Bear to the local jumble sale.  Peter was absolutely heartbroken but, of course, in those days it was just not right to show your love for a Teddy Bear, especially if you were male and attending boarding school.  What would people think?

In the year 1948, a very good friend of Peter Bull gave him a tiny Steiff Teddy Bear who stood just 8.5cms tall, hoping it would help him a little to get over his loss.  This tiny little bear Peter called Theodore.  For the rest of Peter Bull's life he carried Theo everywhere with him.  He wrote about the little bear "To me he is as factual as anything I possess.  I would no more dream of going away without him, even for a night, than travelling to the moon.  I suppose he's a symbol of unloneliness."

Whilst at a New York dinner party during the 1960's, somehow the conversation got around to Teddy Bears and one of the guest's told Peter how the loss of her beloved Teddy Bear had remained with her and, of course, Peter Bull could relate to this.  It was not long after this that he had the idea to write a book about Teddy Bears, reporting on how people relate to them.

In order to obtain stories about Teddy Bears and their relationship with people, he placed an advertisement in the personal column of The Times asking for reminiscences and photographs of ‘E. Bear Esquire.'  This advertisement caused quite a stir and resulted in not only lots of replies from the public but also television and radio appearances.  One of these television appearances was with David Frost, where, of course Theodore also appeared.

Peter's book called ‘Bear With Me' was published in 1969.  It caused a real stir in the Teddy Bear world on both sides of the Atlantic.  He was invited to talk on television on shows with Jack Parr and Johnny Carson.  People began to take interest in their Old Teddy Bears.

A Miss Euphemia Ladd who came from Saco in Maine was so impressed whilst watching Peter Bull being interviewed on television, that she sent him her own Teddy Bear to look after.  Miss Ladd had just closed her dry goods and delicatessen store which she had run for well over 40 years.  Along with her Teddy Bear to Peter, she enclosed a letter in which she apologised for the hump her Teddy had acquired from years of sitting on a shelf  in her store.

Peter Bull of course, was glad to take in the lovely old bear of Miss Ladd and decided to call him Delicatessen.  Peter Bull always maintained that he was not a Teddy Bear Collector, but could never turn an Old Bear away.

When Derek Grainger was looking for a Teddy Bear to play the part of Aloysius in Granada's television series of Brideshead Revisited, he approached Peter Bull.  Grainger knew that Peter had loads of wonderful Teddy Bears and he enquired whether he may have a bear suitable to play the part.  Peter Bull didn't hesitate to put Deli forward for the part.  And so, that is how the wonderful Teddy Bear once called Delicatessen became Aloysius.

Deli/Aloysius proved to be a wonderful actor and made Peter Bull a very proud owner.  All the film crew immediately fell in love with him including his co-star in the series, Anthony Andrews, whose wife Georgina gave him a Daks scarf to keep him warm whilst out on location.

Sadly, Peter Bull died of a heart attack in 1984 and Aloysius was sent to the Stratford Teddy Bear Museum (which sadly closed it's doors some time ago).  In 1989, he joined Paul and Rosemary Volpp's Teddy Bear collection in California.  In 1996 the Volpps moved home and Aloysius returned to live in England.

We Teddy Bear Collectors out there owe so much to Peter Bull not only for leaving us with some wonderful books on our friend the Teddy Bear but also for starting up the Teddy Bear explosion.

Books by Peter Bull include :

• Bear With Me (1969)
• Peter Bull's Book of Teddy Bears (1977)
• The Teddy Bear Book (1983)
• The Zodiac Bears (with Pauline McMillan; 1984)
• A Hug of Teddy Bears (1984)
• The Bully Bear Stories

 

About the Author

Gino heads a specialist on-line Teddy Bear store specialising in Old, Antique and Vintage Teddy Bears.  Gino is quite a character and loves everything Italian including racing Italian Cars and Sophia Loren.

Please visit his website at www.ginosbears.co.uk

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