Honor your genealogy with a family heirloom bear from Bracken Bears.

It was love at first sight—there for the world to see, blatantly in a centerfold spread, begging to be mine. How could I resist those cheeky brown eyes peeking through spiky, blond hair? Could this aristocratic beast want to be mine? Would he be interested in me? The answers were just a phone call away. After the first ring, a cheerful voice answered: “Hello, Susan here! How can I help you?”

Finhold Gallery’s tiny teddies are packed with personality.

Jack and Marion Finhold bring their passion and strong creative instincts to everything they do. From Jack’s flair for experimentation in the kitchen and mastery of several musical instruments to Marion’s love of the written word (their house is filled with her collection of books) and talent for knitting, the couple’s artistry comes together to make some of the world’s most captivating teddy bears.

Shelly Lampshire answers her unrelenting urge to create and to entertain.

Fabric artist Shelly Lampshire was born and raised in Port Huron, Mich. Note that the word “raised” is used, not “grew up,” for in many ways, the 38-year-old Lampshire is still a big kid at heart. If “growing up” implies a conservative, buttoned-down way of life, Lampshire is the complete opposite. She is open-minded and ready to tackle anything. She is a free spirit, a dreamer, a visionary and an eternal optimist.

A host of bear artists prove that respect for nature and a reverence for Mother Earth help to build a better bear.

Teddy bears quite commonly come in beige and browns—it’s a salute to the ways of nature. Whites are a nice wintry change of pace and, of course, pinks and blues fit into every nursery scheme. In 2008, though, the color that is blossoming everywhere is green. Even though the bears in question might still be tan, ebony, cream-colored and pastel, in their hearts they are green—as in recyclable, renewable and reclaimed.