Vermont Teddy Bear Company

Last updated
Vermont Teddy Bear Company
Type Privately held company
Industry Manufacturing, retail
Founded1983 [1]
Headquarters Shelburne, Vermont [1]
Products Teddy bears
Parent The Mustang Group
Subsidiaries Current
Calyx & Corolla
PajamaGram
PajamaJeans
Gift Bag Boutique
TastyGram
Website Vermont Teddy Bear Company

The Vermont Teddy Bear Company (VTB) is one of the largest producers of teddy bears and the largest seller of teddy bears by mail order and Internet. The company handcrafts each of its teddy bears and produces almost 500,000 teddy bears each year. The company was formerly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol BEAR, but was taken private by The Mustang Group, a Boston-based private equity firm, on September 30, 2005, partially to avoid the reporting requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Contents

History

The company was founded in 1981 by John Sortino, who sold handcrafted teddy bears in an open-air market in Burlington, Vermont. Sortino happened upon the idea of packaging and selling bears through the mail when a tourist visiting Burlington wanted a bear mailed to her home. The concept was called the "Bear-Gram", which features the customized teddy bear placed in a box (complete with an "air hole") and stuffed with other goodies.

By 1995, VTB had sponsored on the East Coast various guns-for-bears exchanges and expanded to the West Coast in 1996 starting with UC Irvine's Student Physicians for Social Responsibility and the Brea Police Department. [2]

In May 1997, the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. filed a copyright infringement suit against Disney over "Pooh-Grams" being similar to its mail-order "Bear-Gram" trademark and logo. [1]

VTB acquired Calyx & Corolla, an upscale flower company headquartered in Vero Beach, Florida, in 2003 but is no longer associated with VTB. One of Vermont Teddy Bear's marketing slogans claimed that sending a teddy bear is "a creative alternative to sending flowers." In 2005, the company launched a new sister company, Gift Bag Boutique, which offered handbags and purses along with many make-up accessories. Along with PajamaGram, which sold gift pajamas, and TastyGram, which offered gourmet food gifts, the creation of this sister company brought the total number of companies under the Vermont Teddy Bear umbrella to five. Gift Bag Boutique and TastyGram stopped accepting orders as of June 26, 2008. [3]

For Valentine's Day of 2005, Vermont Teddy Bear caused widespread controversy by offering a "Crazy for You" Bear which wore a white strait jacket with a red heart embroidered and a tag entitled "Commitment Papers" came with the bear. When mental health groups from all over the U.S. asked for the bear to be pulled out of production, VTB kept the bear up for sale but sold out quickly and Elizabeth Robert, the company head, resigned from the board of Vermont's largest hospital, Fletcher Allen Health Care. [4] In May, VTB agreed to be acquired by a Mustang-Group-led investment group for $6.50 a share. [5]

Factory and Retail Store

In 1995, the company moved into its new headquarters in Shelburne in Vermont's Champlain Valley. A satellite factory in Newport was closed in June 2010. [6] A popular tourist destination, the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory in Shelburne offers tours of their factory, hosting over 50,000 visitors every year.

The "Make a Friend for Life" room at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory allows visitors to participate in assembling a bear for purchase. The customer selects the fur, stuffing, and accessories, after which a representative completes the sewing and assists in filling out the bear's "birth certificate." [7] Through the Vermont Cub Project, founded in 2017, the company offers coupons for Vermonters four years of age to make a free Vermont Teddy Bear. [8]

Product Lines

Vermont Teddy Bear has a wide product range of over 300+ items, the most popular being the 15" Jointed Bears in honey color. The bears can also come in Buttercream, Vanilla, Black Licorice, Gray, Pink, as well as longer premium fur colors Maple, Espresso and Snow. VTB also has a wide range of outfits available for most occasions and events. They recently have started carrying a variety of other animals including sloths, monkeys, and even dragons.


Every Vermont Teddy Bear is 100% unconditionally guaranteed for life. That means that if anything ever happens to your Bear you can send it to the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory and they will nurse him or her back to health in the Bear Hospital at no charge. In the very sad event that your Bear is too badly injured and has no hope for a complete recovery, they will replace your Bear with a new one for free! [9]

In addition to the regular teddy bears they also release limited edition bears with a very small quantity produced usually in editions of 35 or 50.

Advertising

VTB was listed among "'a broad range of direct marketers' pitched by the show's hosts themselves" who were taking out more ads on talk radio in 2010, according to Dan Metter, director of talk-radio sales of Premiere Radio Networks. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burlington, Vermont</span> Largest city in Vermont, U.S.

Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located 45 miles (72 km) south of the Canada–United States border and 95 miles (153 km) south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It is the least populous city in the 50 U.S. states to be the most populous city in its state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teddy bear</span> Soft toy in the form of a bear since 1902

A teddy bear is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. Developed apparently simultaneously by toymakers Morris Michtom in the U.S. and Richard Steiff under his aunt Margarete Steiff's company in Germany in the early 20th century, the teddy bear, named after President Theodore Roosevelt, became a popular children's toy and has been celebrated in story, song, and film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shelburne, Vermont</span> Town in Vermont, United States

Shelburne is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located along the shores of Lake Champlain, Shelburne's town center lies approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of the city center of Burlington, the largest city in the state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population of Shelburne was 7,717.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steiff</span> Plush toy company based in Germany

Steiff is a German-based plush toy company. It was founded in 1880 by Margarete Steiff, a seamstress. The toys began as fabric elephants, "Elefäntles" and were originally a pattern design Steiff found in a fashion journal and sold as pincushions to her customers. However, children began playing with them, and in the years following she went on to design many other animal-themed toys for children, such as monkeys, donkeys, horses, camels, pigs, mice, dogs, cats, rabbits and giraffes. These creations were featured in the first Steiff catalogue. Margarete designed and made most of the prototypes herself.

<i>Vermonter</i> (train) Amtrak passenger train in the northeast United States

The Vermonter is a passenger train operated by Amtrak between St. Albans, Vermont, and Washington, D.C., via New York City. It replaced the overnight Montrealer, which terminated in Montreal until 1995. Amtrak receives funding from the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont for Vermonter operations north of New Haven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Vermont</span>

The geologic history of Vermont begins more than 450 million years ago during the Cambrian and Devonian periods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Build-A-Bear Workshop</span> American retail company

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. is an American retailer headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri that sells teddy bears and other stuffed animals and characters. Customers go through an interactive process in which the stuffed animal of their choice is assembled and tailored to their own preferences during their visit to the store. These preferences include numerous different stuffed animals, along with varying scents, sounds, and outfits. Build-A-Bear Workshop is the largest chain that operates in this style. The company's slogan was "Where Best Friends Are Made" from 1997–2013 when it was changed to "The Most Fun You'll Ever Make." As of April 2019, the company's president/CEO is Sharon Price John.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vermont National Guard</span> Unit of the US Army National Guard for the State of Vermont

The Vermont National Guard is composed of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard. Together, they are collectively known as the Green Mountain Boys. Both units use the original Revolutionary War-era Flag of the Green Mountain Boys as their banner. In 2009, they had 2,600 members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vermont Mozart Festival</span>

The Vermont Mozart Festival is a series of indoor and outdoor concerts presented annually at sites throughout the state of Vermont. First held in 1974, the festival primarily focuses on the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In 2010 the original Vermont Mozart Festival disbanded and dissolved; however, 2015 violinist Michael Dabroski announced a new Vermont Mozart Festival, Inc. and programs with its Title Sponsor NBT Bank, the City of South Burlington, and partnerships with community supporters, including Burlington Country Club, South Burlington Rotary Club, and others. In 2016, Vermont Mozart Festival planned to produce many all-Mozart concert events year-round, including a summer series of outdoor concerts and a three-week summer Fellowship Program for thirty awardees. 

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vermont in the American Civil War</span> Overview about Vermont in the American Civil War

During the American Civil War, the State of Vermont gave strong support to the Union war effort, raising troops and money. According to Rachel Cree Sherman:

By the spring of 1865 Vermont was devastated, having sent one tenth of its entire population to war, with a loss of over 5,000 lives to battle, wounds, and disease. The state had dedicated nearly $10 million to support the conflict, half of that amount offered up by towns with no expectation of recompense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John L. Barstow</span> American politician

John Lester Barstow was an American teacher, farmer, politician, and soldier who served as the 39th governor of Vermont, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gund</span> Canadian/American manufacturer of plush stuffed animals

Gund is a Canadian-owned manufacturer of plush stuffed animals. The company is based in Edison, New Jersey, and distributes throughout the United States and Canada as well as in Europe, Japan, Australia, and South America. Gund is currently run by third generation family owner Bruce Raiffe whose grandfather Jacob Swedlin purchased the company from the original founder in 1925. Their slogan is “Gotta Getta Gund”.

Disney Consumer Products, Inc. is the retailing and licensing subsidiary of the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment of The Walt Disney Company. Previously, Consumer Products was a segment of Disney until 2016, then a unit of Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (2016–2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock of Ages Corporation</span> Vermont based quarrying company

Rock of Ages Corporation is a granite quarrying and finishing company located in Graniteville, Vermont. It was founded in 1885.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Bicycle Company</span>

The Chicago Bicycle Company was a short-lived American bicycle company which operated from 1994 to 1998. It was headquartered in Burlington, Vermont, with its main production facilities in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area</span>

The Burlington metropolitan area is a metropolitan area consisting of the three Vermont counties of Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle. The metro area is anchored by the principal cities of Burlington, South Burlington, St. Albans, Winooski, and Essex Junction; and the towns of Colchester, Essex and Milton. According to 2012 U.S. Census estimates, the metro area had an estimated population of 213,701, approximately one third of Vermont's total population.

<i>Bear Island</i> (film) 1979 British film

Bear Island is a 1979 thriller film loosely based on the 1971 novel Bear Island by Alistair MacLean. It was directed by Don Sharp and starred Donald Sutherland, Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Widmark, Christopher Lee and Lloyd Bridges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dorset House</span>

The Dorset House is an exhibit building at Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont, United States; it houses the museum's collection of 900 wildfowl decoys.

<i>Montrealer</i> (train) Passenger train operated by Amtrak between New York City and Montreal, Canada

The Montrealer was an overnight passenger train between Washington, D.C., United States, and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The train was operated from 1924 to 1966, and again under Amtrak from 1972 to 1995, excepting two years in the 1980s. The train was discontinued in 1995 and replaced by the Vermonter, which provides daytime service as far north as St. Albans, Vermont. Current Amtrak service to Montreal is provided by the daytime Adirondack from New York City via Albany.

Tracey Medeiros is an American chef and cookbook author. She wrote The Art of Cooking with Cannabis as well as several cookbooks that collect recipes from farmers and local businesses in Vermont, and co-authored a similar collection from Connecticut.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Vermont Teddy Bear Co. Sues Disney". Los Angeles Times. AP. May 28, 1997. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  2. Pope, John (March 30, 1996). "They Hope to Create a Bear Market for Gun Owners". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  3. "Gift Bag Boutique Homepage" . Retrieved 2009-02-09. and "TastyGram Homepage" . Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  4. "Teddy Bear Chief Quits Board of Vt. Hospital". Los Angeles Times. AP. February 10, 2005. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  5. "IN BRIEF Also". Los Angeles Times. May 17, 2005. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  6. "Vermont Teddy Bear closing Newport facility | Vermont Business Magazine". vermontbiz.com. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  7. "Enjoy our MAKE A FRIEND FOR LIFE® services at the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory". www.vermontteddybear.com. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  8. "Every Vermonter Needs a Bear". www.vermontteddybear.com. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  9. "Lifetime Guarantee". www.vermontteddybear.com. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  10. Wilkerson, David B.,"Talk radio’s a hit in polarized environment: Ad sales are rising for Clear Channel's Premiere Radio Networks," Marketwatch , Sept. 22, 2010, 6:00 am. EDT. Retrieved 2010-09-22.

Coordinates: 44°21′40.5″N73°13′48.64″W / 44.361250°N 73.2301778°W / 44.361250; -73.2301778