Priscilla Hillman’s adorable Cherished Teddies first appeared in 1992. While humble in the beginning, a collection of sixteen bears quickly gained an avid following of teddy bear lovers around the globe. Demand rapidly increased leading to Christmas figurines and ornaments, alongside pieces for winter, spring, summer and fall. Soon collections of holiday themes for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Halloween all followed.
Son Glenn joined Priscilla in 1999, easing the load of creating new designs for this ever expanding line. As a result of the Across the Seas collection’s popularity first released in 1996, introductions of more country exclusive pieces continued. Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States received Cherished Teddies unique to them. Over the years they have created a collection now numbering in the thousands.
Each inspired drawing transforms into a three dimensional mould from which the resin piece emerges. Skilled artists hand paint every piece following the specifications given on original sketches. Complete with under stamps the finished figurines are packed into boxes and sent off to stores worldwide.
Increased numbers to the collection led to earlier pieces being suspended, or retired outright. Other figurines saw limited production runs, or as exclusives to certain regions or countries, making them of added interest to collectors.
Here at Candies of Merritt we have a large number of out of production Cherished Teddies available in their original packaging at Canadian retail pricing. Search our alphabetical or catalogue number listings for the treasure you seek.
Don’t see it on a list? Doesn’t hurt to check with us anyway – it’s a challenge to keep up with the larger lines.