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Besides the
fur fabric, other materials used include its
stuffing, eyes, nose, paw materials and joints.
Generally, cotton polyfibre is used as stuffing.
Our bears and other animals are stuffed very
firmly, thus they will maintain their shape
for decades to come. In some cases, "wood-wool"
may be used, giving a crunchier feel.
Many good eyes used in production are hand-blown
in Germany or Austria. These may be solid black
or coloured, with pupils. They have a loop behind
them for secure fastening. Some antique teddies
have cute black shoe-buttons as eyes.
Noses may be carefully hand-stitched using thick
thread. However, a realistic look may also be
achieved with a leather-sculpted nose. Child-safe
toys tend to use plastic noses, which are almost-impossible
to pull off.
Often the paw pads are chosen to be a contrasting
material or colour from the fur. Ultrasuede
and leather are popular choices. We airbrush
or stitch paw detailing onto all our animal
designs.
Now, the joints.
These are what enables the animals to pose in
a variety of positions. Round wooden disks are
fastened through the fur by lock-nuts and bolts
where the limbs are, so they can rotate on a
plane. The head is jointed as well, even with
an extra joint, in certain designs. This gives
great freedom of movement and makes the animal
highly expressive.
A good example of a jointed bear "Bish"
is shown on the left.
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