A few years ago my husband came home with the book Much Loved by Mark Nixon.
It is a book of photographs of teddy bears and stuffed animals that have been loved to bits.
In the book each animal is photographed elegantly, and accompanied with a short description of the teddy and a comment from the owner.
In 2022 I gave the book to my brother because his name is Teddy and he is much loved. I was afraid that he would find the book sentimental, but he liked it. He responded by sending me a picture of his bear. Ted’s Teddy is 71 years old, still recovering from hand surgery that took place 60+ years ago.
Much loved.
Ann Dalton
Bonny Becker
Julie Paschkis
Julie Larios
laurakvasnosky
Margaret Chodos-Irvine
Books Around The Table 
❤️
Oh, Julie. I wish I had seen this book years ago, or at least thought about this idea of much loved. I made the dreadful mistake of taking my much beloved Pooh (the original one, before Disney) to be repaired after a child bit his nose off. He’d already been through a flood and was definitely the worse for wear. But the hospital that did the repair turned him into someone I didn’t know. I was heartbroken. “A bad plastic surgery job,” was how someone described it. I know now that the much loved are best loved with their wounds on display. Thank you for this post. It is good to feel in community with those who have been through the wars with their teddies.
Yes – the wounds are hard won, and beautiful in their own way.
What a wonderful post, Julie! I love the fact that your brother’s teddy bear has aged in place alongside him. I still have my teddy bear, “Pudgy” – he still has a music box in his stomach which used to play a lullaby; the key to it now is long, long gone. He’s been well-loved, for sure, and his fur is thin, but if you turn him upside down, his legs flop over and right there, in the back fold where his legs join his torso, his fur is like new, all shiny and curly and thick. (We all have secret parts to us that stay young, don’t we?) ❤️
Pudgy sounds like a good character .
Thank you for posting this. Not only is it lovely, but it’s a great vehicle for time travel to my own childhood.
Yes!
LOVE this post!! Haven’t seen this book, but will look for it. Your brother’s teddy is adorable. The oldest teddy I have in my collection dates back to the 1940s; found him at Portobello Road Market in London. Does your brother’s bear have a tag attached with manufacturer’s name? It looks like he’s made of mohair?
Teddy’s teddy bear was made by Steiff. I don’t think it had another name. I believe that my grandparents got it for him in Europe. They also brought us a Steiff lion – Reggie- that was about three feet long – big enough for the lion to hold us when were little.
I thought it might be a Steiff but didn’t see the signature button tag in his ear. What a beauty!! Reggie sounds marvelous too!! Love that your brother’s name is Teddy. 🙂
These much loved creatures, especially your brother’s (probably because it’s pictured in a home), made me realize I don’t have one. So I just discovered a hole in my heart for where one should live.
It’s not too late!
This is beautiful, thank you.
Such a sweet story & glad u had a nice relationship with your brother ❣️
great post Jules.
Thanks for sharing about your brother and the lovely stories about teddy.