Details of some of our products
A serious back injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise for former children's book illustrator Priscilla Hillman. During her recovery, Hillman, who has always been passionate about art and nostalgia, dreamt up a number of classic teddie bear characters to help her pass the time. From there an idea was born.
Hillman created illustrations of these characters when she left the hospital and sent them to Enesco in 1991. Her drawings caught the attention of Founding Chairman Eugene Freedman, who knew he must bring Hillman's illustrations to life through a series of resin figures. One year later, the Cherished Teddies collection became much more than just an idea.
The line was an immediate success, and Hillman was presented in 1993 with the prestigious "Collectible of the Year" award from the National Associate of Limited Edition Dealers (NAILED). This award was soon followed by the groups "Artist of the Year" award to Priscilla Hillman in 1994. The combination of these two major industry awards brought Hillman and her adorable Cherished Teddies figurines instant publicity. Since then the artist has never looked back.
As with most families, the membears of the Cherished Teddies clan have similar physical characteristics, but very different personalities. A Cherished Teddies character is instantly recognisable. The bears each sport a rosy complexion, a down turned mouth and an inquisitive stare. In addition, on the bottom of each Cherished Teddies figurine is an official understamp, which lists the piece's name, sentiment and stock number, as well as its year mark.
On the other hand, each teddie is also very unique in its own way. And the teddies truly do run the whole range of personalities, from playful to pensive. Each comes with a different pose and outfit, as well as a unique name and sentiment, which gives the bear its own distinct personality. The activities in which the teddies are involved not only help to highlight the teddies' personalities, but also offer a glimpse back in time to the days of youth and innocence.
If you're looking for a specific kind of teddie, you may want to try one of the many branches of the Cherished Teddies family tree. While most of the pieces are considered general figurines, others are produced in a specific theme and are part of a series such as Cherished Memories, Santa Express or Happily Ever After, a series of fairy tale inspired designs. This year, a whole new type of friend came to the teddies with the introduction of Cherished Snowbears. Over fifty series have been introduced to date, accounting for approximately half of the nearly 1,000 figurines in the line.
In 1998, Enesco began releasing a series of pieces based on existing Cherished Teddies designs. These new pieces, called Rare Bears, are almost identical in appearance to the originals. However, the Rare Bears sport a gold understamp and a special Rare Bear mark. To date, seven designs have been honored with a Rare Bear counterpart.