A Bit About Tatty Teddy from the UK

Had heard about Tatty Teddy from the UK quite some time ago as a very sweet UK customer of ours does Tatty Teddy cross-stitch kits.  So I decided to research the background behind this cute little character from England.

Created initially in 1987 by English cartoonist and illustrator Michael Payne, these adorable little teddy bears with the classic blue noses went into production by the Carte Blanche Greetings Ltd Company.  (These Tatty Teddy bears are also known to some as Me to You Bears).

Mr. Payne recently left  his position as Tatty Teddy illustrator at Carte Blanche Greetings.  He is know drawn by a team of three very talented artists:  Steve Mort-Hill, Ceri Lewis, and Tom Barnfield.

In 2001 the US company, Douglas Company, received the rights and license to sell the brand in the US and Canada.

Currently the Tatty Teddy line includes plush toys, figurines, cards, coffee mugs, wedding accessories, and cross stitch kits as mentioned previously.

Tatty Teddys have quite a worldwide following and there exists annual Tatty Teddy national collectors events.  On occasion there have been produced several special and limited edition bears which in turn enhances the collectible nature of these teddybears.

In 2008, Carte Blanche Greetings introduced an additional line called "My Blue Nose Friends" which consisted of other animals created in the same style of Tatty Teddy.  Their plush is a different color than the traditional grey of Tatty Teddy but each one has the dark eyes in close proximity to each other, and the classic light blue nose.

It is very understandable why these adorable little teddy bears are popular in the UK.  So now whenever you see a little grey bear with blue nose you can identify him as a "Tatty Teddy" who originated in England!

Quote of the Day - "The palest ink is better than the best memory." - Chinese Proverb

Madame Alexander Dolls Classification and Identification

The Alexander Doll Company has quite a history.  Founded way back in 1923 by the illustrious Madame Beatrice Alexander, this is one of the few doll companies that has withstood the test of time since its inception over 90 years ago.

So, how is your Madame Alexander doll classified and identified?  We will provide you with a high level overview in hopes that it will prove informative and useful.

Take from the "Madame Alexander Dolls Buying Guide", it is important to first and foremost classify your collectible Madame Alexander Doll.  The determinant here is her age.

Classification	Description
Antique Madame Alexander dolls	Generally, Madame Alexander dolls made before the 1930s are considered to be antiques.
Collectible Madame Alexander dolls	The word collectible can refer to many different things, but collectible Madame Alexander dolls are those that were made more than 25 but less than 75 years ago.
Modern Madame Alexander dolls	Dolls made within the last 25 years are considered to be modern Madame Alexander dolls.
Contemporary Madame Alexander dolls	Any dolls in current production are considered to be contemporary dolls.

After determining which category your collectible doll falls into, it is then best to identify the doll. Throughout the Alexander Doll Company's history, there have been many distinctive face sculpts to create a myriad of dolls.

They are as follows: (taken from the 2004 Madame Alexander Catalog)

Name	Timeframe
Cissy	1955-present
Elise	1957-present
Cissette	1957-present
Maggie	1960-1961 (reintroduced 1997)
Huggums	1963-present
Pussycat	1965-present
Victoria	1966-present
Rusty	1967-present
Alexandra Fairchild Ford	2000-present
Paris Williams	2001-present
Petite Wendy	2001-present
Hannah Pepper	2002-present
Jadde Lee	2002-present
Isabelle	2002-present
Wendy Woodkin	2003-present
Sofia Cruz	2004
Olivia	2001-present

One of the first set of collectible dolls based on real people were the famous Dionne Quintuplets (pictured above) way back in 1936.  This introduction was the ultimate in setting a trend in duplicating famous people.

If you have any questions about your Madame Alexander Doll, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Quote of the Day - "Happiness is where we find it, but rarely where we seek it." - J. Petit Senn

Beacon's Glow Collectibles Now Supports Hats 4 Hope for Preemie Babies

We are pleased to announce that Brenda, Owner of Beacon's Glow Collectibles, is supporting the Hats 4 Hope organization located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

This non-profit organization was founded by Suzy Luff back in 2008 when she was only 14 years old.  Currently 5,200 hats have been created and donated to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Colorado Springs Memorial Hospital.  These preemie hats benefit both the premature babies as well as the parents.

Suzy was recently featured on a "Making a Difference" episode on MSNBC Nightly News.  She has continued her passion to help preemie babies and currently has over 125 volunteers donating their time and effort in making hats for these little babies.  As Suzy has stated "The goal of this organization is to bring a little happiness, joy, and color to a hard time in a family's life."

Preemies, categorized as being born before 37 weeks, can only wear a diaper and hat while they reside in a hospital's intensive care unit.  Covering the baby's head helps keep them warm and warm hats are not supplied by hospitals.  Premature babies cannot keep themselves warm when born before 37 weeks because they do not have any stores of body fat. Their little heads lose so much heat and a hat really helps eliminate this problem.

We are asking friends, family, and customers to donate any surplus yarn** they might have sitting around their homes.  Yarn donations can be sent to:  

Beacon's Glow Collectibles

ATTN:  Brenda

217 Settlers Valley Drive

Pflugerville, TX 78660

* Please do not send any yarn that has a high content of wool as we sure would not want to irritate these tiny babies in any way.

And Brenda will be including an optional donation of $1.00 upon checkout that will be put towards the cost of yarn.  She has already sent one shipment of preemie hats to Suzy of Hats 4 Hope and plans to send many more in the future. This will ultimately spread Suzy's love and generosity.

Quote of the Day - "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve." - Napoleon Hill