Lucky bears! A true story about two bear brothers

Bulky waste is always dangerous for people walking through the streets. This is true even for those who don't need any of the items left lying around. Sometimes, it can even lead to a rescue operation.

That's what happened to a friend of mine who found two rather unusual hitchhikers and asked for asylum on their behalf. They were two homeless teddy bears, one larger and one smaller. Perhaps they are bear brothers, or more likely a mother and cub, or even a father and cub. In any case, they were an adult bear and a baby bear. My friend spotted them lying amongst old furniture, pieces of plywood, and other odds and ends – they had been abandoned. He took them with him on a whim.

The first special thing about these two lucky bears is their age. Their very light mohair fur has become quite thin. You can clearly see the fabric underneath. The larger bear has an open little snout and looks very friendly. There's even a rumbling voice rattling around in his tummy – the kind that all proper teddy bears used to have. Sometimes it even works just a tiny bit.

The little baby bear has a slightly more serious expression as he looks at the world, but his squeaky voice can still be heard every time you squeeze him. These two bear brothers are fully articulated, too. You can move all four limbs, and their heads swivel, too. I had a bear just like this a long time ago – back then, they were all like that. Mine was dark brown, though. But I still remember how friendly he was.

Plush bears are often the first proper friends you have. You never forget them. It's really touching that someone went to the trouble of dressing the bears. They were both given two-tone overalls made from fine woollen fabric with a pretty pattern, each one was fastened at the front with laces. Perhaps this was done to protect the ageing fur – or what was left of it. Or maybe a child begged their grandmother or mother to make proper clothes for their old teddy bears.

These two lucky bears certainly have a story, I'm quite sure. They were once loved and cherished by a child. They were probably kept well beyond childhood, as they aren't modern teddy bears. Why they ended up in the bulky waste is a mystery. Maybe the person who lovingly kept them has passed away, and nobody else felt any connection to them. I can't imagine that they were simply unwanted. Then again, that could be the case.

Someone may have wanted to draw a line under something and get rid of relics from their past. Mementos are always a mixed bag for us humans. They can make us happy but also sad. Most of the time, though, you keep the items that evoke both emotions. Provided, that is, you're the sort of collector who's afraid of forgetting things unless there's something to anchor your memory, like the two mysterious lucky bears, gathering dust in a drawer or lying around.

My friend took pity on the two homeless bears, but didn't want to keep them. As for me, the two bear brothers were most welcome. They've been with me for almost twenty years now and are in surprisingly good condition. It's almost as if I'm cherishing someone else's fond memories.

I don't know how old this little family actually is. They certainly have fifty years under their furry belts. I haven't been able to identify a specific brand – they probably don't belong to the 'bear elite' of days gone by. They may even have been restored over the years, with a nose or claw re-embroidered in black thread where something was missing. Their eyes, however, are still clear and completely undamaged.

The two lucky bears will never tell their story, but they carry it with them. They live on an armchair here, alongside the legend of the beloved, abandoned and rescued mohair bears.

Ilona E. Schwartz is the author of the German-language books 'Mein Wundertütenhund', 'Jan und die Märchenbühne der Wunder' and 'Feen und Gnome, Damen und Helden'. You can read about Ilona's books on our paperbacks and e-books page.

Are you also familiar with Ilona E. Schwartz's German-language 'Puppenmodels im Maßstab 1:6' series? It contains more than twenty articles and lots of pictures of Barbie dolls and other models.

© 'Lucky bears. A true story about two bear brothers. The rescue of two homeless bears': Text and illustrations by Ilona E. Schwartz (translated by Izabel Comati), 07/2026.