Me to You Bears (also known as Tatty Teddies) is the brand name of a collection of teddy bears made by the Carte Blanche Greetings Ltd. They are often found in Clinton Cards. They were first created in 1987 and appeared in their current guise in 1995. A number of products are available related to Tatty Teddy including plush toys, figurines, cards, mugs, and wedding accessories. [1]
The beginnings of Me to You started in 1987 when Carte Blanche Greetings chairman and Founder, Stephen Haines, approached Mike Payne to create a group of 'cute' characters to appear on a series of greeting cards. This led to the creation of various cartoon animals called the Miranda gang, which notably included a brown bear with patches.
Deciding it was time for a refresh, in 1995 Carte Blanche gave the bear a new look. Drawn in charcoal pencil turning the bear from brown to grey, and with the addition of a bright blue nose, a few more patches and a story of his very own 'Tatty Teddy' and 'Me to You' were born. Me to You is now a global brand and Tatty Teddy now appears on a wide range of Me to You products including greeting cards, plush, clothing, gifts, figurines, personalised products and confectionery. Over 75 million Me to You plush bears have been sold since 2000.
First only available in the UK, it was announced in December 2011 that the Douglas Company received a license to sell the brand in the US and Canada. [2]
The first generation of Tatty Teddy soft toys, produced in 2000, was based on the original greeting card design of 1995 consisting of a teddy bear with short grey fur, small black eyes, an off-white snout and a blue nose with a white reflective spot on the right hand side. They also have patches of a light grey colour which appear to have been sewn onto them, along with stitching repair work on the arms and head, hence the name 'tatty'. The words 'Me to You' are embroidered on the right rear paw. The very first Tatty Teddy was hand crafted by Linda Laverty of Worthing, West Sussex. The second generation Tatty Teddy, introduced in 2003, kept to the same overall design but with much finer fur. To coincide with the 2003 redesign, the 'Me to You' story was also published, describing how the teddy bear came to be in its current state. A third generation Tatty Teddy was introduced in May 2009. This bear has much longer fur in various shades of grey and a blue plastic nose, rather than the fabric nose on previous generations. The reflective spot has been removed since the new plastic nose has reflective qualities. [3]
The bears come in many different sizes, ranging from 5 cm to in excess of 80 cm, and often come with accessories such as hearts, roses, T-shirts, wooly hats and scarves. Some have personalised messages from a simple "I Love You" to longer seasonal and event related messages. It is even possible for customers to personalise their bears. The bears are particularly popular amongst females in the 10–30 age group although they are also designed to be romantic gifts for people of all ages as they can be considered 'cute'. [4] Due to this they are becoming collectors items, similar to Steiff and Beanie Baby toys. Indeed, there are even annual Tatty Teddy national collectors events. [5]
Several special edition and limited edition bears have also been produced, enhancing the collectible nature of the toys, which see the bear dressed in different costumes including various animals and the four seasons (summer, winter etc.). Many of the limited and special edition releases are designed to tie in with events such as Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and Christmas. The number of these limited edition bears produced is usually 9000, however this can range from 1500 to in excess of 10,000. [6]
Regional variations of Tatty Teddy are also available, for example Scottish dress and London Beefeater. Versions of Tatty Teddy have also been made for the tourist market, usually wearing a T-shirt with an expressive message, for example 'I Love Cornwall'.
The makers of the teddies do not recommend that they are cleaned in washing machines but instead should be hand washed. [7] This is because the dye in the clothes of the bears has not been tested to see if they are colorfast. [8]
(wip)
In the summer of 2008, "My Blue Nose Friends" were released – other animal toys in the same style as Tatty Teddy. The story given is that Tatty Teddy was lonely and dreamt of a wardrobe full of friends.
Set 1 – June 2008
Set 2 – August 2008
Set 3 – October 2008
Set 4 – December 2008
Set 5 – January 2009
Set 6 – May 2009
Limited Edition 1 – June 2009
Set 7 – August 2009
Limited Edition 2 – September 2009
Set 8 – November 2009
Limited Edition 3 – December 2009
Set 9 – January 2010
Limited Edition 4 – January 2010
Set 10 – March 2010
Set 11 – June 2010
Limited Edition 5 – July 2010
Set 12 – August 2010
Set 13 – November 2010
Limited Edition 6 – Christmas 2010
Set 14 – January 2011
Limited Edition 7 – Valentine's Day 2011
Set 15 – March 2011
Limited Edition 8 – June 2011
Set 16 – June 2011
Set 17 – August 2011
Limited Edition 9 – September 2011
Set 18 – November 2011
Limited Edition 10 – November 2011
Set 19 – January 2012
Limited Edition 11 – January 2012
Set 20 – March 2012
Limited Edition 12 – April 2012
Set 21 – May 2012
Set 22 – August 2012
Limited Edition 13 – November 2012
Set 23 – April 2013
Set 24 – June 2013
Set 25 – September 2013
Set 26 – November 2013
Set 27 – December 2013
Set 28 – March 2014
Set 29 – May 2014
Set 30 – September 2014
Set 31 – November 2014
Set 32 – January 2015
Set 33 – March 2015
Set 34 – June 2015
Set 35 – September 2015
Set 36 – November 2015
Set 37 – January 2016
Set 38 – March 2016
Set 39 – June 2016
Set 40 – September 2016
Set 41 – November 2016
7 new blue nose friends were released in September 2019. These included Toots the Elephant, Konker the Hedgehog, Legend the Unicorn, Blossom the Rabbit, Tiny the Mouse, Milkshake the Cow and Twiggy the Giraffe.
Set 1
Others
Set 2
A 10" snowdear with a blue nose, this character is listed on the my blue nose friends page, although it isn't stated if this is actually a Blue Nose Friend.
To celebrate the launch of their 100th My Blue Nose Friends character, Ramble the Centipede, Carte Blanche launched a free-to-enter competition in June 2012. 100 fans had the chance to win a rare and exclusive 4" My Blue Nose Friends character, Luna the Wolf. The character is not available to buy anywhere in the world.
A stuffed toy is a toy doll with an outer fabric sewn from a textile and stuffed with flexible material. They are known by many names, such as plush toys, plushies, lovies, stuffed animals, and stuffies; in Britain and Australia, they may also be called soft toys or cuddly toys. The stuffed toy originated from the Steiff company of Germany in the late 19th century and gained popularity following the creation of the teddy bear in the United States in 1903. At the same time, German toy inventor Richard Steiff designed a similar bear. In 1903, Peter Rabbit was the first fictional character to be made into a patented stuffed toy. In 1921, Christopher Robin's stuffed toy, given to him by his father, A. A. Milne, would inspire the creation of Winnie-the-Pooh. In the 1970s, London-based Hamleys, the world's oldest toy store, bought the rights to Paddington Bear stuffed toys. In the 1990s, Ty Warner created Beanie Babies, a series of animals stuffed with plastic pellets that were popular as collector's items.
Tots TV is a British children's television programme, produced by Ragdoll Productions and Central. The series was first telecast in the UK on the ITV network from 1993 to 1998.
The Zoo Zürich is a zoo located in Zürich, Switzerland. It is considered one of the best zoos in Europe. Opened in 1929, it is the third oldest zoo in Switzerland and it accumulated a collection of 2,200 specimens of 300 species by its seventy-fifth year. It is located on Zürichbergstrasse, on the lower reaches of the Zürichberg in the Fluntern quarter.
Captain Beaky & His Band , commonly shortened to Captain Beaky & His Band or Captain Beaky, is the title of two albums of poetry by Jeremy Lloyd set to music by Jim Parker and recited by various British celebrities. The albums generated two books of poetry, BBC television shows, a West End musical, a pantomime, performances by the National Youth Ballet of Great Britain and a gala in aid of UNICEF performed by Roger Moore, Joanna Lumley, Jeremy Lloyd and the National Youth Ballet at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in December 2011. The first album was released on vinyl in 1977 and the second in 1980. Both were re-released on compact disc in 2002.
San-X is a Japanese stationery company known for creating and marketing cute characters such as Tarepanda, Rilakkuma, and Sumikko Gurashi. The characters are usually anthropomorphic representations of animals or inanimate objects. Each character has its own quirky traits; for example, Momobuta is a pig with a head shaped like a peach, who enjoys karaoke and painting her nails. San-X head designer and creator of Tarepanda, Hikaru Suemasa said in 1999: "It's not just being cute. There is something different - a relaxed look, powerless".
Littlest Pet Shop is a toy franchise and cartoon series owned by Hasbro and currently under license with Basic Fun!. The original toy series was produced by Kenner in the early 1990s. An animated television series was made in 1995 by Sunbow Productions and Jean Chalopin Creativite et Developpement, based on the franchise.
Yan Yan is a Japanese snack food made by Meiji Seika since 1979. It comes in a package with two compartments. One side has biscuit sticks, the other side has chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, or yogurt flavored frosting used for dipping. The sticks themselves may also be flavored. Some Yan Yan products are sold in rectangular containers with 9 sticks and dip. There is also a new version which includes two flavored dips.
Let's Pretend was a 1980s children's television series aimed at preschool aged children in the United Kingdom.
Roll Play is a Canadian live-action interactive children's television series created by J.J. Johnson and produced by Sinking Ship Entertainment and Radio-Canada Télévision for Treehouse TV. The series tells the viewers to copy the actions shown on screen. Puppets are featured, and are played by the Famous People Players, a Canadian black light puppetry theatre company based in Toronto. In the United States, a Spanish-language version airs on V-me during the commercial breaks. The show first aired on May 13, 2006 and concluded on June 16, 2012, after 3 seasons and 128 episodes aired.
Old Bear and Friends is a popular series of children's books written by British author and illustrator Jane Hissey. The books became the basis for a BAFTA award-winning television series Old Bear Stories.
Elmer Elephant is a Silly Symphony cartoon short produced by The Walt Disney Company, directed by Wilfred Jackson and released on March 28, 1936.
NICI or NICI GmbH is the name of a German toy factory based in Altenkunstadt in the north Bavarian region of Upper Franconia. The company was founded in 1986, and produces plush toys, stationery, figurines, greeting cards, pillows, water bottles, magnets, and other merchandise. Lots of their products are collectibles for children, with series of matching plush characters and school accessories. NICI produced Goleo, the mascot of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
The Teenie Beanies are miniature Beanie Babies that were offered as McDonald's promotions in Happy Meals from 1997 to 2000.
The Secret World of Benjamin Bear is a Canadian animated television series and a joint effort produced by Amberwood Entertainment, Secret Bear Productions, and produced with the participation of Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund including animation by Philippine Animation Studio. It originally aired on Family Channel from 2003–2009. 52 episodes were produced.
The Sing-a-ma-jigs are an American line of electronic, singing stuffed toys released by Mattel in 2010.
Enchantimals is a media franchise-supported toy line launched on July 18, 2017, by American multinational toy company Mattel as a companion to Ever After High and the second spin-off to Monster High. The line consists of human–animal hybrids and their woodland creature pets who live in a fictional setting of Everwilde. The Enchantimals media include a web series, books, and a television special. The franchise development began in late 2015, it was announced in October 2016, and its toys were first released in June 2017.
Sonny Angel is a line of cherub figurines created by Japanese toy manufacturer Toru Soeya, the CEO of the Japanese company Dreams. The character's name is derived from Soeya's nickname, 'Sonny.' Sonny Angels are sold in blind boxes, featuring different headgear and occasionally different outfits in various collections. The slogan of Sonny Angel is, "He may bring you happiness."