The other day I posted a photo of Groot holding a teddy bear and good friend to the blog, @AliceinCleveland, asked if my photo was an “ode to Kristina?” While subconsciously my photo may have been inspired by Kristina’s work, I admit she’s had a lot of influence over my work in the past six months, I truly think that the teddy bear looms large for many Legographers.

Within the world of LEGO there are many wonderful accessories, the hot dog, the cookie, the book, the backpack, the cat, the wine bottle… Each accessory tells its own story, but none is as compelling as the teddy bear. What accessory so perfectly combines, innocence, childhood, nostalgia, comfort and vulnerability in one adorable package. At my last count there are five different types of teddy bears: the classic from Sleepy Guy in series 6, the bow tie version from the series 11 Elf, the well loved bear from The Simpsons series 1,  a mini panda bear from the LEGO movie mini figure series, even Spooky Girl gets a teddy bear in series 12.  Of course none of these stock teddy bears comes close to the well loved teddy bear that is a frequently seen in Kristina’s work. Have you checked out how well loved her bear is?

A series about finding comfort in and with teddy

A series about finding comfort in and with teddy

Personally I’ve used all of these teddy bears over the years. I’ve put one in the hand of Frankenstein and four in the hands of Lord Garmadon.  When I had my teddies attack Tonto it was their revenge on a childhood of mistreament.  So much can be implied with the use of a carefully placed teddy bear in any image.

Just to be clear the love of the LEGO teddy bear doesn’t stop with Kristina and I. The teddy bear also makes frequent appearances in the work of Mike; like this cute image of  teddy trying on Bobo’s helmet.

SiP_ForceFriday

Last summer we each named our favorite mini figures and Vesa confessed that even though it’s not a mini figure, the teddy bear from Series 6 Sleepy Head was one of his favorites.  Who can resist those eyes?

Teddy

I thought I would share with you a few of my favorite images I found tucked away in the extensive media library attached to this blog. These teddy bear images come from a variety of artist and it’s a testament to the hold the teddy bear has over us all.

~ Shelly

Do you feel the same way as I do about the LEGO Teddy Bear? If not, what’s your favorite LEGO accessory to use in your toy photography?