Teddy Bear Hospital 
from Teddy Bear Studio

Please read this section in which we try to answer the many questions we are often asked.  Hopefully your questions will be answered, but if not, please contact us and we will do our best to repsond within 48 hours, often it is much sooner.  Questions can be sent using the contact form or be emailing teddybears@teddybearstudio.co.uk
 

How much will it cost to repair my teddy bear?

That is not an easy question to answer here as every bear and every repair is different.

Here are some basic starting prices for common repairs we are oftens asked to carry out:

Replacement paw pads, £30 each

Seams coming apart £20

New eyes £20 per pair plus the cost of the eyes (even if only one eye is missing both eyes will be replaced as we probably cannot get an exact match)

Growlers/Squeakers replaced £35 plus the growler.  This will involve opening and closing the chest cavity, removing stuffing and restuffing. If new stuffing is needed this will be extra.

For a full starting price list see the price list page.

These are just some of the repairs, other repairs are available.

How long will my repair take?

That all depends of the repair and, to be honest, how busy we are at the time.  Most repairs will be a day or two once we begin but we will give you an estimate of the date you can expect your bear to be returned when you place a firm order. Currently we are very busy and have about a 5 weeks waiting list.

My dog has damaged my old teddy bear and parts have been completely destroyed.  Can you repair this?

Probably.  We will do a thorough assessment of the damage and give you an honest answer.  We can always make missing parts but remember we will be using new materials which may not be an exact match for the old materials.  We will do our best to match as close as we can but will check with you before work begins to ensure you are completely happy with the closest match.

Can I bring my teddy bear to you?

Absolutely.  We operate from our home so all visitors are asked to make an appointment.  This is to make sure we are available (we do have care responsibilities and are not available at all times) and could save you a wasted journey.

I live a long way from you, can I post you my old teddy bear?

Of course you can.  All bears are valuable, some are worth a lot of money, all have tremendous setimental value.  As such we recommend tracked and registered delivery.  We will not accept responsibility for teddy bears lost in the post.  Bears will be returned tracked and recorded delivery by Royal Mail.  This offers insurance for any rare postal errors.  Tracking numbers will be provided when your bear is being returned to you.

Is my teddy bear insured when in your posession?

Yes.  We take great care with all teddy bears given into our care but all bears are insured against unforseen events.

Can you make my teddy bear look new again?

No.  We can never do that, and in fact it would be wrong because all loved bears have a story to tell and to remove this would be wrong.  If you want a new looking bear, we can make you a bespoke bear to resemble your old friend and it would cost a lot less!

Is my teddy bear worth repairing?

If you mean is the cost of the repair worth spending, we cannot answer that.  The repair would in most cases be more than the teddy bear is worth in monetary terms, however the sentimental value often far outweighs this.  My own teddy bear I have had since I was a baby is probably worth £40 (its a Wendy Boston from 1963) and my mum washed him in the washing machine, hung him to dry pegged on the washing line (things that should never be done!) and he could be in a bit better condition (he is balding in places as a result of all this cleaning).  However, to me he is priceless and I would have him repaired at any cost (he is on my to do list).

My old teddy is losing fur, what can you do for him?

Fur cannot be replaced sorry.  We can make a new bear for you in a similar style but when the fur is gone, its gone.  I have heard about a restorer in the United States who, it appears, makes a new teddy to put inside the old fabric then pulls the fur through the fabric one strand at a time and charges $350 per square inch.  I have no idea how he does this (other than its a bit like pulling hair through the plastic head covering when dying/tinting hair)and would never attempt it myself as it could destroy old, worn out fabric.

Can you repair the joints on my old bear?

Yes, depending on the fabric quality around the joint.  Whether its a safety joint or a more traditional cotter pin joint we would open the seams on the limb and the body, remove the stuffing, cutthe old joint out, replace the joint, restuff and close the seam.  Sometimes we may need to strengthen the fabric from inside and sometimes the fabric is simply too fragile to attempt the repair.  Honest advice is given where we think the repair is too dangerous for the bear to survive.  Sometimes we may suggest leaving well alone or making a new limb when necessary.

If you replace parts of my old bear, will they match the age and look of the rest of him?

We will do our best to age the new parts to match the rest of your bear.  Aging is an art in itself and can take many hours of dying, tinting and painting to make the part look old in the right way.

Modern materials are different  to old ones and the weave is not always the same.  Old fabric also wears thin and this is more difficult to disguise.  We will do our best to get a pleasing result that is as close matching to the original as we can.

Sometimes, we have a suitable donor teddy bear and can use limbs , eyes, fur etc from such a bear.  Often donor bears have some very good useable areas but others parts too far gone to repair.  This option will be discussed with you if we have something suitable and will provide a better match.

What is my teddy bear worth?

That is something we will not attempt to tell you: there are specialist auction houses that have up to date information on value that we simply do not have.  We will tell you if we think the repair is more than your teddy bear would be worth and leave it up to you to decide if you want to continue with the repair.  Remember, the value of the teddy bear is often sentimental.  We know what we would be prepared to purchase a teddy bear for at auction and use this as our guide.

Will you buy my old teddy bear?

We might, it all depends on the teddy bear and what you would want for it.  We often look for old teddy bears to use in classes as repair subjects and sometimes buy to repair and sell on.  Occasionally we like a bear and would add it to our collection.  So if you have a bear to sell, its always worth asking but we need to see the bear in person and not through photographs.  Should you send photographs we would make a decission as to whether ti tis worth you sending him to us, if we purchase, we would reimburse the postage.  If not, you would be responsible for all postage to and from us.  We do not accept reponsibility for teddy bears lost in transit in this instance and suggest tracked postage in both directions.