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Teddy
Goes to Tulsa Antiques Roadshow
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On the morning of July 8th, 2000, I and my companions, Powers Museum Director/Curator and her husband Gary, along with another Carthage couple, headed down the the Will Rogers Turnpike for a visit to the Antiques Roadshow that had rolled into Tulsa, Oklahoma. Not that any of us had any designs on making a television debut, but we were on a fact finding mission instead. You see, over the years I had forgotten were I was born and Curator Hansford was hoping the appraisers could identify my manufacturer.
But before I tell you about the Roadshow, let me tell you what I do remember about myself. I am about ninety-five years old (see why I am having a little memory problem) and in my youth I lived in Paris, France. That is where I met Marian Lousia Powers (or "Toots" as everyone called her). Marian had gone with her mother Marian Wright Powers while the latter and her sister Nira Wright were studying music. Toots had been enrolled in a nearby day school where she met my first owner, Georgette Cohan.
Now if that Cohan name sounds familiar, it should. Georgette was the daughter of composer and Broadway showman George M. Cohan. Anyway, Georgette presented me to Toots one school day and so I came to America and Carthage, Missouri, where I lived with the Powers family until moving to my new home at the Powers Museum. While I had a nice time with the Powers, you can see that I had a full life and was played with a lot in my youth! Now I enjoy the occasional royal treatment when put out on display every few years and in between I get to hibernate and catch up on my beauty sleep.
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Not having traveled in many a year, the trip to Tulsa was quite refreshing; however, once we arrived at the appointed time at the Tulsa Convention Center, the fun stopped! Curator Hansford and companions carried me through a serpentine maze that continued for almost three hours. Oh there were jovial chaps to chat with in the other sections of lines as they passed by and even the occasional fellow teddy bear would go by and wave. But what about that guy with the bull weathervane behind us a few paces? Could he be a candidate for a television appearance?
As we approached the taping setup and circle of appraisers tables, who did we spy but Dan Rather. I understand from the Tulsa newspaper published on the following day that he had a "48 Hours" crew in tow for a future show. Also announced in the local paper was the fact that approximately 7,000 people had been on hand that day. I sure hope all of them did not have their legs swell up as bad from standing so long as Michele did!
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As the Carthage crew was shuffled into the spotlighted-lion's den of appraisers, I was ticketed for the Toys, Dolls & Games table and once there it was Richard Wright who took a look at me. He cut to the quick as soon as I was passed over to him and after a brief inspection and a couple of hard squeezes, Mr. Wright began shuffling through a book to see if he could match me up as Curator Hansford told him my story and her difficulty in attributing my creator. To my dismay he kept saying I was not Steiff quality as if I had made claim to such birth, which I had not ever done so, I assure you.
After pondering a moment, Mr. Wright eventually surmised that I may have been born at the Wilheim Strunz factory in Germany. He suggested that the museum take a look at the book entitled Encyclopedia of German Teddy Bears by Marianne and Jurgen Cieslik to see if upon more leisurely study, Curator Hansford concurred with him. The attribution was made based on my lovely facial expression and the fact I was a dressed bear, something this company was known for making, including bear clowns that looked similar to me.
And so, you have my story of the sojourn to Tulsa and my participation in one of television's popular culture events, the Antiques Roadshow. Now if I could just get my paws to work the telephones to qualify for that other television show — "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"
Sincerely,
Teddy B.
P.S. Curator Hansford has been unable to locate an interlibrary loan copy of the book outlined above. It can be made part of the Powers Museum library collection if there is someone who would like to donate the $70.00 for its purchase and shipping costs, I certainly would thank you!
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| phone: 417-358-2667
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