The Cherished Teddies® collection is celebrating its 15th Anniversary. Cherished Teddies® is one of the world’s leading teddy bear gift and collectible brands, which is sold in more than 10 countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and Australia. Enesco Group, Inc., a leader in the giftware, and home and garden décor industries, introduced the collection in 1992 with 16 teddy bear figurines designed by artist Priscilla Hillman. Today, there are more than 2,000 figurines and giftware items in the line, including a gift collection of photo frames, musicals and waterballs.
Sculpted in cold cast resin, Cherished Teddies® figurines have an individual name and message of friendship and love, which is chosen by Hillman. Each figurine comes with a Certificate of Adoption so collectors can officially "adopt" the teddy bears and hundreds of thousands of figurines have been registered to date.
The Cherished Teddies® collection was "born" in 1990 when Hillman sent 36 original oil paintings of her teddy bears to Enesco, which transformed her drawings into three-dimensional figurines. Cherished Teddies® soon became Enesco’s fastest growing collectible, and today, the collection accounts for millions in annual sales.
In 1999, Hillman’s son, Glenn, joined her in designing many of the new Cherished Teddies® figurines. His first series was called Teddies in Motion. He makes appearances with his mother and has been well received by Cherished Teddies® collectors.
Responding to overwhelming consumer enthusiasm, Enesco formed the Cherished Teddies ClubTM in 1995. The Cherished Teddies ClubTM informs and entertains more than 75,000 worldwide membears through special events, a club newsletter and members only benefits.
Cherished Teddies® has been honored with numerous awards in the gift and collectibles industry. In 2003, Teddy Bear Review magazine awarded Cherished Teddies® with a Golden Teddy Award, and in 2001, the collection received the Teddy Bear of the Year Industry Choice Award by Teddy Bear and Friends Magazine. In 1993, its first year of eligibility, the collection was named Collectible of the Year by the National Association of Limited Edition Dealers (NALED). Other awards include the 1996 and 1997 NALED Miniature of the Year, the 1992 Teddy Bear of the Year (TOBY) from Teddy Bear and Friends Magazine, the 1997 Parkwest Outstanding Collectible of the Year and the 1997 NALED Collectors Club of the Year. Hillman has also been honored as the 1994 NALED Artist of the Year and Parkwest Publication’s 1993 Outstanding New Artist.
Since the collection’s first retirement in 1995, Enesco has retired a selection of figurines each year, enhancing the figurine’s value and collectibility. Once a figurine is retired, the mold is broken and it will never be produced again, increasing its value in the secondary market.
The Hillmans’ images have also inspired designs for Cherished Teddies® plush bears, infant bedding, blankets and accessories, wall borders and apparel, among other licensed products.
