After a very inauspicious and shaky start, when the Sydney Organising Committee for
the Olympic Games (SOCOG) tried to ban him, which took the intervention of Australia's
Deputy Prime Minister to save him when he told SOCOG to "back off" and
let, arguably, the only Australian-made icon for the Millennium Games to stay
in production, "Sidney the 2000 Olympics Bear" went on to win the prestigious
Blue Ribbon at the 2000 Winter Wonderland Bear Show in Brisbane. He then
went on to make me only the sixth living Australian bear artist to be so honoured
when he was chosen by the world famous Dancing Bear Folk Center in the USA
to be a featured bear in their Bear Museum. "Sidney" is now a closed edition,
and somewhat world famous. |
  Only days after his launch, "Crocodile Dunbear" was also selected for the Dancing
Bear Folk Center Teddy Bear Museum.
This is a signal honour for me
as a bear artist, to be actually selected twice for this high recognition.
"Croc"
now forms part of the museum's Australian display, along with "Sidney"
and some other great Aussie bears. |
"Fergal" is my highest scoring
bear in Australian competitions,
winning
Best in Category at the
2000 Bears in Brisbane Show.
He first
took out a Blue Ribbon
at the inaugural North Queensland Teddy
Bear Makers
Challenge (judged by Aussie
bear icon Gerry Warlow), then went on to
take
out a very high scoring Red Ribbon at
the 2000 Melbourne Teddybear
Event in
Berwick, before his big win at the 2000
Bears in Brisbane.
"Fergal" is a closed edition and has completely sold out. |
"Taylor" is also a highly successful bear, taking out a Blue Ribbon in the NQ Teddybear
Makers Challenge, then high scoring Red Ribbons at both the Melbourne Teddybear
Event in Berwick and the 2000 Bears in Brisbane Show. She was a One
Off and is no longer available, now living in Melbourne. |
RIGHT: "Oliver" has only been shown once, and he won a Blue Ribbon at the 2000 Bears in
Brisbane. "Oliver" now resides in Melbourne with one of my larger collectors. |
"Dorian Grey" (above) took high scoring Red Ribbons at every Show at which he has
appeared. He is now living with one of world's leading collectors in New York
city. |
LEFT: "Deefer" (ribbons at right) took high scoring Red Ribbons at both the Winter Wonderland
and Bears in Brisbane Shows and is now a closed edition, having sold out. |
"Pendleton" (above left) and "Aunty Glad" (above right) have only been shown once
each, both taking high scoring Red Ribbons at the inaugural North Qld Teddybear
Makers Challenge. |
"Delta Cream" (above) and "Magnus" (right) have only been shown once each, both taking
high scoring Blue Ribbons - "Delta Cream" at the 2000 Bears in Brisbane show,
and "Magnus" at the 2001 Central Queensland Camp Quality Bear Show.
"Delta Cream" is now living in Melbourne...but "Magnus" is still available as a
Limited Edition bear from this website.
(PS: I'm using the blue ribbons from the NQ Teddybear Makers Challenge for 'Crocodile
Dunbear' and 'Magnus' as the Camp Quality one is too big to scan) |
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