Shropshire Star

Shropshire company's commemorative coronation teddy bear available to order at £345

Shropshire teddy bear maker Merrythought has seen a surge in demand for a limited edition teddy bear created in honour of King Charles III’s coronation.

Published
Merrythought's coronation bear

With the coronation just days away, the company’s historic Ironbridge factory is a hive of activity as the skilled team carefully hand-make each King Charles III coronation commemorative teddy bear.

The 14in bear is dressed in a satin-lined velvet robe that is embroidered with the king’s official cypher and finished with Italian tassel detailing. It has been designed and crafted in England as a high quality, enduring memento of the historic occasion - this Saturday, May 6, 2023.

Merrythought has been long-recognised for creating fine royal commemorative teddy bears and works with many luxury retailers, including official royal enterprises such as Highgrove, the private home of the king.

Merrythought’s soft toys have made their way into the hands of several members of the Royal Family during the company’s 93-year history, the earliest being a Merrythought corgi that was presented to the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1955.

Each King Charles III coronation commemorative teddy bear is presented with a silver-plated replica of the Imperial State Crown, which is adorned with 26 glass gemstones.

A limited edition of only 2,023, each bear is sold with an individually-numbered certificate of authenticity.

Sarah Holmes, Merrythought’s managing director, said: "We are honoured to have hand-crafted this exquisite bear here in our Ironbridge factory.

"Our aim was to offer a high quality, British-made memento of this historic occasion - the first coronation in 70 years – and something that will become a true future heirloom, enjoyed by generations to come."

The King Charles III coronation commemorative teddy bear is available to pre-order from merrythought.com, priced at £345.