The family firm of J K Farnell & Co Ltd occupies a position of unparalleled importance in British soft toy history, firstly because it was the very first British toy company to manufacture teddy bears, and also because it created the actual bear that inspired A A Milne to write the Winnie the Pooh stories. Yet impressive as those facts undoubtedly are, they comprise just a small fraction of the fascinating Farnell story. Founded in the Nineteenth century, for decades J.K. Farnell & Co Ltd was the most respected and influential soft toy manufacturer in Britain. Thanks to the superior quality of its products, the company experienced enormous commercial success at national and international level - even in Germany, home to its biggest rival, there was great demand for Farnell products. Surviving economic depression, devastating fire, the ravages of World War II and other traumatic events, the company kept going until fundamental changes in the British toy market forced its closure in 1970. Since then, the Farnell name has been forgotten by all but a dedicated band of teddy bear enthusiasts and the true story of this pioneering British firm has fallen into obscurity. Now, thanks to Kathy Martin's intensive research, the facts about J K Farnell & Co Ltd and its fabulous teddy bears are revealed in this informative and entertaining book.

A lavishly illustrated look at the history behind one of the most iconic toys of all time - the Teddy Bear.

Teddy Bears make every child feel comfortable in new surroundings. Friendly and easy to talk to, they are the perfect addition to the classroom. This delightful book fosters self-concept, language arts, math, and fine/gross motor skills. Includes an in-depth guide to designing and maintaining learning center activities for teachers on a limited budget. All the inspiration you need to create an entire curriculum of bear related activities.

A deep dive into the history of the much-loved plush bear brand from one of the world’s foremost teddy bear experts. Merrythought was one of Britain’s longest running British-made teddy bear firms with a dedicated international following for their quality, highly collectable bears whose life-size models used to dominate stores such as Harrods and Hamleys. This book—with its quality color illustrations and use of original sales material—will appeal to teddy bear collectors as well as dedicated Merrythought fans and is full of tips on collecting the popular toys. Written by leading teddy bear expert, Kathy Martin, editor of Teddy Bear Scene and a regular on programs such as QVC as well as a consultant to firms producing collectable bears, this is a must for collectors, dealers, and those who loved their own Merrythought teddy bears when young. After a short-term closure, Merrythought was revived and will delight future generations. Its closure made headlines news, showing the enduring popularity of the quality bears. “This must-read book will appeal to Merrythought and teddy bear collectors and dealers, those who loved their childhood teddies and indeed anyone interested in the history of the great British toy company.” —Collectors Club of Great Britain

Teddy Bears come in all shapes and sizes. Almost every boy and girl have at least one. Most grown-ups even have a special Teddy Bear that they have kept since childhood. Ever wonder why? Why is one of the first gifts that you ever receive as a baby a Teddy Bear? Why are Teddy Bears so special? The reason has long been lost to us, until now! The lost legend of the Teddy Bears has finally been Found!

This series responds to the increasing awareness of role play as an exciting and effective approach to enhance children's learning. Each book provides a selection of themed drama activities that develop a range of skills while drawing on children's natural ability to play. Through their imaginative engagement with fictional worlds, children acquire new knowledge and understanding. The Teddy Bear's Picnic and Other Stories includes activities on: The Teddy Bears’ Picnic Goldilocks The not-so jolly postman. User-friendly, visual and easy to read, this series is a must for classroom teachers, nursery nurses, playgroup leaders and learning support assistants within pre- school and Key Stage 1 settings who are unfamiliar or wary of role play but want to incorporate it into their teaching.

Provides patterns and detailed instructions for constructing a teddy bear and offers tips on assembling and adding character to each bear

Cuddling with a soft teddy bear can be very calming. But how are teddy bears made? What are they made from? Who invented them? Find out everything you ever wanted to know about teddy bears in this engaging book.

A first biography of one of Britain's leading lyric songwriters. The Man Who Wrote The Teddy Bears' Picnic tells the story of Irish-born Jimmy Kennedy, one of the last - and arguably the finest - of the professional Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the pre-Beatles 'golden age' of popular song. A fascinating insight into the life of a man who rose from small town beginnings to become for fifty years the lyrical and musical power behind some of the twentieth centurys top popular song entertainers from the days of Variety right up to The Beatles era. Jimmy had something like 30 No. 1 hits to his credit worldwide but is little known outside of music business circles. The book, written by his younger son, ex journalist J.J.Kennedy, sets out to remedy this omission and celebrates his contribution to the genre. Though his romantic ballads like Red Sails in the Sunset continue to be played all round the world, Jimmy is possibly best rembered today for the Cokey Cokey, which he adapted from a Canadian folk song in 1943, and The Teddy Bears' Picnic, which gave magical childrens' words to an old American tune. Well written and easy to read, the book serves as an excellent historical record of pop and is full of facts, observations and authoritative comment on the cut and thrust village that was Tin Pan Alley. It captures the bustle of the place and its almost industrial approach to song creation. It paints a colourful picture of some of the leading characters of the period and exposes the double dealing, greed and downright exploitation prevalent in that world. But the book also creates a romantic mysticism around the characters who dashed around in Denmark street, peddling their talent so often in vain. It transports you to smoky little rooms with music coming from every corridor and it tells the story in black and white, like an old Hollywood movie. Swimming among all these sharks is the unlikely figure of Jimmy Kennedy dapper and charming, modest and artistically fine-tuned, yet steely, resilient and highly commercial. A man who could spot the financial worth of his work, write to order sometimes in lightning-quick time and stand his ground when he knew he had a hit. He was in fact, a one man hit machine. But it wasnt always one man, and the book illuminates the winning partnerships with Michael Carr, Will Grosz et al. One of the key strengths of the book is its nostalgia appeal and has some wonderful anecdotes including recollections from Terry Wogan, Val Doonican and others and non-musical people such as Denis and Margaret Thatcher. All in all, a very intelligent book and one which will become a work of reference for anyone studying the popular music art form of the twentieth century.