Aunt Elly sat resplendently in her mauve silk dress and black feather boa, her favourite pet nestled in her arms, as she disdainfully regarded her admirers milling around. “The things I have to put up with,” her eyes seemed to impatiently say, while the captive crowd exclaimed loudly over her beauty.

Hailing all the way from New Zealand (which may explain her exotic good looks), Aunt Elly was here for a visit as part of The Singapore Teddy Bear Show 2008 at The Arts House on October 9. Themed “A Bear Perspective”, the spotlight was of course shining brightly on the well-loved teddy bears themselves.

Coming in all shapes, sizes and designs, the bears were a joy to look at, and great fun to gush over- appealing to both adults and children alike. Everyone clearly adored these furry creatures, despite their perpetually grumpy expressions (a default look for all teddy bears with their downward turning mouths), and exclamations of “How cute!” reverberated continuously around the room.

There was a surprisingly large turn out for the small event, and a good mix of male and female bear enthusiasts attended the show. “Collecting bears is a unisex activity,” said Mr Alfred Goh, 42, a teddy bear collector, “I like how each bear seemed to have its own personality and story.”

Several world-renowned designers were present for the show, such as Mac Pohlen from MacAnimals (USA) and Heather Lyell and Roy Watkins- proud parents of our haughty Aunt Elly- from D’Lyell Bears (New Zealand).

There were various local designers’ works on display as well, like Emen Chen of Emen’s Creations, and Mark Rodrigues of Markosbears, who had his eye catching life-like grizzly bears with him, each individually named, designed and made.

Most of the teddy bears on display were for sale, although the exclusivity of some meant that the bears came with hefty price tags. The majority of attendees seemed content to simply take home pictures of the pricey stuffed animals, as they admired the bears from afar, occasionally sneaking in a quick stroke or 2 while the designers looked on indulgently. The kind-hearted teddy bear lovers would be happy to know that some of the bears displayed were being sold for a good cause.

Attached with bright yellow “charity bear” tags, half of the proceeds from these selected furry creatures at the various booths were donated to the Business Times Budding Artists Fund, which helps support art education at The Little Arts Academy for disadvantaged children.

Teddy bear making enthusiasts were not left out of the show either. A booth selling quality bear fabrics by Edinburgh Imports, Inc, was set up and the organisers even planned a step-by-step teddy bear making demonstration held by Nana Pong, a local sculpture artist.

If you have a lazy afternoon to spare, The Singapore Teddy Bear Show 2008 is a novel, enjoyable  way to spend a few hours. Unfortunately, it was a one-day only event, and the bears have since left The Art House. Fret not though, as there’s always next year to experience these adorable, grumpy creatures charming their way into your heart.

We don’t know about you, but UrbanWire will definitely be on a look out for the 2009’s teddy bear show.

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