Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Brother Bear and Sister Bear. These simplistic names became synonymous with children’s literature back in the 1960’s when Stanley and Janice Berenstain wrote their first book featuring three bears. Bears were easy to draw and since they were both artists wanting to get into the children’s book market, they figured they’d start with a bear family and see where it took them. Dr. Seuss who at the time was working for a publishing company when their first book crossed his desk coined the name The Berenstain Bears and a new book series was born. Instead of being billed as Stan ..read more

When it comes to mascots, most of the ones that come to mind right off the bat are those associated with North American sports teams or North American products. Think McDonald’s, M&M’s, the Philly Phanatic, the Energizer Bunny, the Kool Aid Man; the list goes on and on. These are all easily recognizable characters that clue people in right away to what they are selling or promoting. England’s premier soccer teams (and some not so premier) also have mascots, although they are not as widely known on this side of the Atlantic. The one that comes to mind most easily, and the one who has won Be ..read more

Why the Detroit Tigers are called the Tigers is open to a lot of speculation. It could have been that back in the day they wore orange striped socks with their uniforms, or it could be a tribute to a group of cavalrymen from the Detroit area who valiantly fought like tigers during the Civil War. Whatever the story behind the name, the Tigers have been playing baseball in Detroit for decades and what any great team needs is a friendly mascot to help rally the fans. Enter Paws, the cuddly and cute tiger that graces Comerica Park at each home game. Paws is, of course a tiger complete with his ora ..read more

Arguably one of the most recognizable sports mascots of all time is the big furry green creature that goes by the name The Philly Phanatic. He is large, he is green and he loves the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team. You can find him at all home games where he entertains the crowd and also at community events where he works in public relations for the team. He is hard to miss as he is, well, fluffy and wears large sneakers and a Phillies shirt that has a star on the back. He’ll be the one dancing on the dugout or making fun of the opposing team, full of vim and vigor and always making the fa ..read more

Who has a red hat, a blue duffle coat and a battered old suitcase that is full of his favourite breakfast food, marmalade? Why, it’s Paddington bear of course and he, like so many other famous bears got his start in children’s books. He hails from ‘deepest, darkest Peru’ and is found by the Brown family at Paddington Station in London England when they are there to pick up their children from a train. Paddington was the brainchild of Michael Bond who saw a lone teddy bear in a shop near Paddington station on Christmas Eve. He bought the bear for his wife for Christmas and it prompted him to co ..read more

We all know Winnie the Pooh, that lovable yellow bear in the red shirt that has an affinity for ‘hunny’ and for getting into scrapes along with his band of friends. He, along with Tigger, Owl, Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo and of course Christopher Robin have many adventures that were first documented in books and later in movies and television shows. It all started back in 1926 when author A.A. Milne wrote a story about Winnie-the-Pooh, his son’s stuffed bear. The bear got the name Winnie after a Canadian black bear that he liked to visit at the London Zoo and a swan he named Pooh that he had sp ..read more

You know Yogi bear, that brown guy with the green tie and cute little hat that goes around with a little bear cub named Boo Boo and tries to steal any ‘pic-a-nic’ basket he can get his hands on. Yes, that Yogi Bear not to be confused with the famous baseball player, Yogi Berra with the very similar name. Yogi has been with us since 1958 when he first debuted on The Huckleberry Hound Show which was a popular cartoon at the time. Turns out he was far more popular than Huckleberry Hound so by January of 1961 he had his very own show. Yogi was the first major breakout character that was created by ..read more

We have all seen the devastation that wildfires leave in their wake and footage of the thousands of firefighters that are out trying to fight them. That is today, but back in the era of World War II, able bodied men were out fighting in Europe, which didn’t leave many at home to take on firefighter roles. This is when the United States government knew they had to step in and do something. That something was Smokey Bear. He was first created in 1944 and today the campaign to stop fires before they start is one of the most powerful public service campaigns of all time. Everyone knows who Smokey ..read more

When you think of mascots that are forever linked to a brand a few names come to mind. There’s the Kool Aid Man, Ronald McDonald, the Energizer Bunny, the M&M’s and oh yes, Mr. Clean. None of these mascots are real of course– although there have been a few actors over the years who have played Mr. Clean on television commercials—but we all know who they are, and most importantly what they represent. When it comes to brand mascots, the owners want everyone to know instantly what they are selling. Mr. Clean has been around since 1958 and has always looked the same, bright white shirt and pan ..read more

In the olden days, long before the teddy bears and stuffed animals of today made an appearance, little girls played with dolls that were handmade by their parents. Mom would use fabric scraps or straw to stuff the body that she would craft of fabric and make little dresses with other odds of material so the doll could have clothes. Because stores were few and far between, if your daughter wanted a doll, you had to make it using the items you had on hand. Fast forward a bit to the early 1900’s when two toymakers came up with a Teddy Bear design at almost the same time though being on opposite s ..read more