Kohlberg Kravis Roberts firm bought over half of the interest in the Boyds Bear company, and in 1999 Boyds Bears’ stock was publicly traded. The year 1998 marked a big change for the Boyds Bear collections. So, rather than increase the price for the collectors, he retired almost half of the lines each year so that they would be limited editions, making them more collectible. Gary refused to do this, and insisted that the more affordable his items were, the more likely that children would be able to play with them. The Boyds Bear items were inspected by at least three people before they were packed up and shipped to the gift shops.Ī lot of collectors wanted Gary to increase the price of his Boyds Bears because they (erroneously) believed that if the bears (and other animals) were more expensive, then they would be more collectible. This proved to be a successful choice for the Lowenthals… they had a personal relationship with the small retailers and got to know exactly what sold and what didn’t.Īnother deciding point on the huge success of Boyds Bears was that Gary insisted that each item be hand cut, hand sewn, and all embroidery was done by hand also. He felt that this way, he could get a better grasp of what the Boyds Bear collectors wanted. Instead, he chose to market his line in high scale gift shop settings. The Head Bean (Gary Lowenthal) decided against marketing his collections in large discount-type stores. And what bear would be complete without her very own chair? The Bear Necessities is a line of little furniture that is made for the plush animals and dolls. Gary later went on to add other lines to the Boyds Bears collection: Folkstones, Wee Folkstones, and even a Dollstone Collection (dolls that come with either small dolls or bears for them to play with!) Boyds even offers garden statues in their line. The Boyds Bears come in their own little outfits and some of them come with their own little accessories. Who would have thought that Boyds Bears would become such highly collectible stuffed toys and resin figurines? There are actually fan clubs for these adorable little bears (and other animals and dolls.) Perhaps a reason for all of the fanfare is that each individual Boyds Bear has a personality of her own.
The resin collection of Boyds Bears is called the Boyds Bearstone Collection. Gary added resin figurines to the already expanding plush animals collection. (Not to worry, they also have Bailey Bears named after their daughter!)īoyds Bears moved from Maryland to Pennsylvania as the Boyds Collection Ltd. While the Lowenthals were selling antique reproductions wholesale, Gary made his first fully-jointed Teddy Bear, “Matthew.” Matthew was the name of the Lowenthal’s son, as well as the name of their first official Boyds Bear. They started out with a business that dealt in antiques. Gary Lowenthal and his wife Justine left their high pressure jobs in order to pursue their interests.
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