New Queen and Prince Phillip bears made by Merrythought as birthday tribute
As the Queen gets ready to celebrate her birthday later this month, one of the county's most well known businesses has found its own way of marking the occasion.
April 21 will see Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's 95th birthday, and Ironbridge-based teddy bear maker, Merrythought, has created a special tribute to commemorate the day.
The company, the country's oldest teddy bear maker, says it has hand-crafted the anniversary bear from "the finest caramel-coloured mohair plush and pure cotton velvet".
Retailing at £275 the bear does not come cheap, but is instantly recognisable, taking inspiration from the outfits Her Majesty has famously worn to royal occasions, such as Royal Ascot and Trooping of the Colour.
Fourth-generation managing director of Merrythought, Sarah Holmes, said: “Merrythought’s relationship with the Royal Family goes back several generations.
“In 1952 we presented Her Majesty with a Merrythought Corgi. Since then we are proud to have worked with several of the official royal enterprises, created teddy bears for each royal generation – including great-grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louise and more recently in 2018, we enjoyed a visit from Princess Alexandra.
“We have collectors all over the world following for our royal commemorative teddy bears, and wanted to celebrate our much-admired Queen and offer a beautiful teddy bear in her honour.”
The firm has also recently unveiled its HRH Duke of Edinburgh Teddy Bear, created in the year Prince Philip celebrates his 100th birthday.