Teddy bear:Paint the Town Red: Alice VanderBear

In 1983 the North American Bear Company (NABCO), a U.S. manufacturer of upscale soft toys for children, released for the collector market a new family of very active and fashionably attired teddy bears: parents Cornelius and Alice VanderBear and their children, twins Fuzzy and his sister Fluffy. In the next year, seven-inch baby Muffy VanderBear joined the family, and the company found many devoted collectors for the smallest of the bear family. NABCO established the Muffy VanderBear Club for adult collectors and Muffy's Kid's Club for younger fans. Each year, the company offered several Muffys and her friends Hoppy, Lulu, Purrlie, and others in an array of outfits and ensembles for many holidays, leisure activities, and special occasions. Collectors still wait impatiently for new Muffys issued by NABCO and hunt the secondary markets to find older ones they might have missed.