Traditional Ted has beaten Winnie The Pooh, Paddington Bear and Rupert as the nation’s all time favourite cuddly bear.
A poll conducted by Travelodge looked into our fascination with teddy bears, following a record number of 75,000 cuddly bears being left behind by customers at 452 Travelodge hotels in the last year alone. The survey of 6,000 Britons revealed that the classic teddy bear who originated in 1902 in New York is our favourite teddy by a mile. Winnie the Pooh came in second place as Britain’s most loved bear and third place was awarded to Paddington Bear and his old hat, battered suitcase, duffle coat and love of marmalade sandwiches. Tatty Bear also known as ‘Me to You Bear’ came 4th in the poll and Britain’s fifth most popular bear is Sooty.
Below are the nation’s top ten favourite cuddly bears:
1. The classic Teddy bear like Little and Big Ted from Playschool
2. Winnie the Pooh
3. Paddington Bear
4. Tatty Bear
5. Sooty
6. Care Bears
7. Yogi Bear
8. Fozzie Bear
9. Rupert the Bear
10. Super Ted / Baloo
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokeswoman said: “We have never had as many as 75,000 cuddly bears left behind in Travelodge hotels before. Our hotel staff have worked extremely hard in reuniting the bears with their owners. Interestingly the owners have not just been children, we have had a large number of frantic businessmen and women call us regarding their forgotten teddy bear.” Dawn James, editor of Teddy Bear Times said; “I am not surprised that the traditional teddy is the nation’s favourite bear. It’s a design that has lasted for well over a hundred years and most people have had a traditional teddy bear as part of their toy collection whilst growing up.”
Further findings from the research revealed that over half of British adults still have a teddy bear from their childhood and Briton’s average teddy bear is 27 years old. 14% of parents surveyed said they had passed down their favourite teddy bear to their children as a keepsake. Eight out of ten parents reported the first toy they brought their child was a teddy bear.
Interestingly the survey also found not all men outgrow their companionship with their teddy bear. Apparently a quarter or males reported they take their teddy bear on business trips with them as it reminds them of home and helps them to nod off because they miss a bedtime cuddle from their partner. Also to avoid the embarrassment of taking a teddy bear to bed in adulthood 15% of men use a teddy bear style hot water bottle.
Corrine Sweet, Psychologist, commented on the research findings and said: “Cuddling a teddy bear is an important part of our national psyche it evokes a sense of peace, security and comfort. It’s human nature to crave these feelings from childhood to adult life, which is why 51% of Britons have kept hold of their faithful teddy bear.”
August 2010
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