Teddy bear sizes

Size decides more than price on an artist bear — it decides what the piece becomes for you. Here is the chart in centimetres, and what sits behind each row.

These are ranges for the artist bear market as a whole, not only our work. Within one size the spread is easily threefold — the amount of hand embroidery decides it.

Why a small bear is not always cheaper

It looks as though price follows centimetres. In practice a miniature can cost more than a mid-size piece: the smaller the detail, the harder it is to make. An outfit for a twelve-centimetre bear takes longer than one for a thirty-centimetre bear, and the embroidery on it demands a different precision — there is nowhere to hide a stitch.

That is why the ranges in the chart overlap. What is worth comparing is not height but how much work went in.

Choosing a size

• A first bear. Take 16–25 cm. Big enough to see the work, not so expensive that you regret it if the genre turns out not to be yours.
• As a gift. 26–35 cm reads as a serious object without demanding space to put it.
• For travelling. Under 15 cm. Fits in a bag and survives it.
• For the centre of a collection. From 36 cm. These become the piece everything else is arranged around, and a maker finishes only a handful a year.

How height is measured

Height is given seated or standing, and a good description always says which. The difference matters: a seated bear of the same stated height is noticeably bigger than a standing one. Ears are not included in the measurement.