It seems like everything today is mass-produced from the same mold, and it is difficult to find products that exhibit originality or reflect your personality. When my sister had her first child last spring, I didn’t want to get my new nephew some run-of-the-mill, generic toy from a department store. I decided to look online to see if I could find something more personal.
After some scouring on the internet, I came across a site that offered custom teddy bears. This seemed to be the perfect combination of a traditional gift that still maintained a sense of individuality. I choose a distinct outfit for my nephew and had the bear created in the same attire, which created several memorable photo ops.
Like most kids, my favorite toys when I was growing were my stuffed animals. Each one had a name and a distinct personality. I remember being able to sit for hours going on imaginary adventures and expeditions with my stuffed friends. My favorite one was my teddy bear George.
George was one of those one of a kind teddy bears that you could easily pick out of a crowd. He stood over three feet tall and was bigger than I was for most of the time that I was played with him. Today I still have George and plan on passing on the unique bear to my kids someday.
Children and stuffed animals go hand-in-hand – quite literally in many cases. At a certain age, it can be difficult to separate a child from his favorite plush toy. Teddy bears and other stuffed animals provide comfort and constant companionship. For young kids who are afraid of the dark, a teddy bear is often a source of strength. It’s no wonder that parents and family friends put a lot of forethought into which stuffed animals they present to kids.
There are plenty of mass-produced teddy bears on the market, but their abundance is part of the problem. These stuffed animals are made in far-flung regions of the world with little regard for craftsmanship. One of a kind teddy bears, on the other hand, are made with painstaking attention to detail. In their most important stages of development, children deserve nothing less than a quality companion.