I don't think it is ridiculous. I went on a quest for a picture book I loved. I wish you good luck.

Did you mean to post a picture or provide more details so we can assist?

Thanks, local! The seller's photos should be there now.

I've thought about this bear for many years, but he recently came back to my mind after we visited the Smokey Bear Historical Park and saw lots of sweet Smokey memorabilia. The bear pictured above made lots of trips with me, including a fun family vacation to Yellowstone, and just holds many memories.

Ha, apparently. No, I'm on my phone and hit that by accident. Oh well. I've reported it as miscategorized. Not sure how else to remove it from one forum.

I have a few of mine which I put on display in the guest room. My husband and his son think it is weird. Most other folks find it pleasant. It's not overdone, IMHO.

I don’t think it ridiculous at all, especially being that it brings happy thoughts.

I was once on a quest to find Zip or Zippy the toy monkey my brother carried around everywhere in the early mid sixties. I decided it made me feel a little sad to remember. It was going to be a gift for my mom but I decided against it.

If something still brings you joy at the thought of it...I hope you find it.

Thanks for the kind and understanding words. The little bear is rather ridiculous. I mean, jacket but no pants! LOL!

I don't think it's ridiculous at all. As we go through life and start reflecting on things that did and do bring us joy there's nothing wrong with reconnecting with the things that trigger those memories.

You could get ambitious and make one of your own. :)

Donna

There are other auction sites like OfferUp.com, EBTH.com and Goodwill.com, but you might have to scroll through pages of stuffed bears because I think the specifics might never make it into a Goodwill or even an eBay listing. I guess it depends on how badly you want the bear. I once scrolled through the listings for amber and gold glassware every day for two years looking for some Pier 1 goblets to complete a set I had. I found them, but it took so many hours and so many different searches.

You could save a search on eBay for "Ideal Teddy Bear", and then you would get notified any time one is posted. You would probably have to look at bears that aren't like yours .. but looking at how few are listed, it might be worth your while.

I sure don’t think it’s ridiculous. It’s a sweet quest and I wish you good luck!!

Ida, your post made me think of this guy who I was fond of. His human hands are a little creepy but he knits and nods when you wind him up.

I was fond of my giggles doll until Wayne Hildebrandt kicked her head off on show-n-tell day. When you moved her arms her head moved while she giggled. It was really more of a strangled flipper sound but I loved her.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W01QaZVF3nU

Watch your dog’s reaction while playing this vid lol. No wonder lil Wayne kicked her head off.

Are you sure your mother isn’t keeping him for you?

I kept a box of some of our children’s favorite toys for decades, thinking that they would one day want their own children to have them.

Good luck, but beware. If you find one just like the one you had, it still may not feel (and smell) the same as the one you miss.

OMG justerrilynn! That’s a riot! Stephen King springs to mind.

I didn’t find your bear, but I did find this blog post on the company that made the bear: History of the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company

Ida, did you ask the seller to ask the buyer if they’d be interested in selling the bear? If it’s a dealer, they wouldn’t have an emotional interest in the bear. Did the seller know if the Ideal Co. had a name for this bear that could help you in your search? Maybe the buyer knows if she doesn’t.

If you haven't already, you could also try Etsy.

I don't see any right now on Etsy. But you can set up a "search alert" on ebay to notify you when new listings appear that match your search. Eventually someone will sell another!