Boyds Bears

A collection of resin bears manufactured by Boyds Bears is the feature of the lobby exhibit at Prairie Museum of Art and History for November. Carol Thiel of Colby began her collection when her first grandaughter was born in 1995. She gave Brianna a keepsake whimsical little bear atop a music box. Carol liked it so much she went back and bought another one just like it for herself. She became hooked! Soon friends and family joined the frenzy and began buying bears for Carol too.

(Click to enlarge photo)

This group includes music boxes, animated bears and lighted bears.

"Noah's Ark" was one of many bear series produced by Boyds.

Weddings & Angels

Professional bears include Judge Griz, doctor, baker, and others.

Special occasion and sports bears were also available. 

Boyds Bears was founded by Gary M. Lowenthal and his wife, Justina Unger. They owned an antique shop and were having difficulty maintaining an inventory of well priced antiques. They turned to making and selling antique reproductions. Some of their first were duck decoys. In 1984 they began sculpting with resin and producing a line of miniature houses called "The Gnome Homes". Their first bears were stuffed bears and became known as "Boyds Bears" for the town of Boyds, Maryland, where they lived and operated their business. The plush bears were a huge success and in 1993 Boyds introduced the first resin bears. The Boyds company produced several product lines, but the bears remained the most popular.

Enesco, an American company specializing in the distribution and sales of giftware, purchased Boyds Bears in 2008. In August 2014 Enesco announced to retailers the company had "made the difficult strategic decision to place Boyds into hibernation". Although Boyds are no longer in as many retail stores as they once were; they are still available online at www.boydsstuff.com

Stop at Prairie Museum of Art and History this month to see this small part of Carol's amazing collection. It is sure to put a smile on your face!