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This is a vintage Wendy Boston white plush, foam-filled ‘washable’ teddy bear. Blue and black plastic eyes, Stitched nose, mouth and claws.With original sewn in lable (deteriorated).Height 9 in (23 cm).Condition is dusty.Nora Wendy Boston was born in January 1909 in Acocks Green, Birmingham. Her Father was a coal merchant whilst her Mother (Nora Jenkins) was a part of the ‘Jenkins Silver Company’ who had a factory in Birmingham.Wendy studied at the Lawnside Art College and later went on to work for the famous Cadbury’s factory where it was her job to produce promotional materials. Later she fell in love and married Ken Williams and all was well until the Second World War started when Ken joined the RAF. In 1941 however, he was invalided out. He then did a number of different jobs in both retail and in pubs but when their house was bombed out the young couple decided it was time to uproot and make a fresh start somewhere new and it was then they decided to move to the lovely Welsh town of Crickhowell, a small town just outside of Abergavenny.Due to the shortages of toys during the war years, Wendy started to gather together old blankets and any odd scraps of material she could lay her hands on to make some soft toys for her friends children. Such was the popularity of these toys that Ken, who was never one to pass up an opportunity, thought it a good idea if Wendy produced some of her toys for commercial purposes. He later took a box of Wendy’s toys to a famous Cardiff Department Store, who it seems, without any hesitation, bought the whole lot for 100. A whole lot of money during those times.And so, it began……. In 1945 the company was formed with just one lock-up shop, one female employee and of course, Ken and Wendy. It was decided that Wendy’s maiden name would be a good name to register the company in and so ‘Wendy Boston (Crickhowell) Limited’ came into being.In 1935 the popular fabric named Nylon was invented but no-one had seen its potential to be used to make soft toys that is until Ken approached Norton Weaving (Yorkshire) Limited and asked if they would supply a ‘nylon’ plush. It was this material that Wendy used to make her now very famous and certainly very distinctive Teddy Bears that sold in their thousands over the next few years. During the height of this company’s trading, some 27% of all toys exported from the UK and up to half of those toys sold domestically was made by the Wendy Boston Company.With the advent of health and safety rules, Ken and Wendy could see that soon the Teddy Bear and other soft toys with glass eyes on wires (that so often rusted and broke) would be banned and so they set about trying to produce a screw lock plastic eye with rust proofed nuts and this they did, the design being released in 1948.The stuffing used in Teddy Bears was also soon to be a health and safety issue as teddies were beginning to be seen as slightly unhygenic. Then one day, whilst on a visit to Woolworths, Ken noticed some washable foam and bought a bag which he took back to the fact and experimented with. Initially he sliced the foam into strips and later into cubes. The foam was dustless, springy and quick-dry. Hey presto!!! soon the company had a fully washable teddy bear.After the new washable teddy bear was tested it hit the market in 1954, being launched on the BBC in 1955. Sadly though what Ken and Wendy didn’t realise was these washable bears were not meant to last decades and become popular with collectors and tragically the foam blocks used to stuff the bears turned to sand or, after repeated washing, actually turned the foam to gloop. This is why when you see an old Wendy Boston Bear today they often look quite flat.
VINTAGE WENDY BOSTON WHITE WASHABLE TEDDY BEAR, CIRCA 1960sDescriptionThis is a vintage Wendy Boston white plush, foam-filled ‘washable’ teddy bear. Blue and black plastic eyes, Stitched nose, mouth and claws.
With original sewn in lable (deteriorated).
Height 9 in (23 cm).
Condition is dusty.
Nora Wendy Boston was born in January 1909 in Acocks Green, Birmingham. Her Father was a coal merchant whilst her Mother (Nora Jenkins) was a part of the ‘Jenkins Silver Company’ who had a factory in Birmingham.
Wendy studied at the Lawnside Art College and later went on to work for the famous Cadbury’s factory where it was her job to produce promotional materials. Later she fell in love and married Ken Williams and all was well until the Second World War started when Ken joined the RAF. In 1941 however, he was invalided out. He then did a number of different jobs in both retail and in pubs but when their house was bombed out the young couple decided it was time to uproot and make a fresh start somewhere new and it was then they decided to move to the lovely Welsh town of Crickhowell, a small town just outside of Abergavenny.
Due to the shortages of toys during the war years, Wendy started to gather together old blankets and any odd scraps of material she could lay her hands on to make some soft toys for her friends children. Such was the popularity of these toys that Ken, who was never one to pass up an opportunity, thought it a good idea if Wendy produced some of her toys for commercial purposes. He later took a box of Wendy’s toys to a famous Cardiff Department Store, who it seems, without any hesitation, bought the whole lot for 100. A whole lot of money during those times. And so, it began……. In 1945 the company was formed with just one lock-up shop, one female employee and of course, Ken and Wendy. It was decided that Wendy’s maiden name would be a good name to register the company in and so ‘Wendy Boston (Crickhowell) Limited’ came into being.
In 1935 the popular fabric named Nylon was invented but no-one had seen its potential to be used to make soft toys that is until Ken approached Norton Weaving (Yorkshire) Limited and asked if they would supply a ‘nylon’ plush. It was this material that Wendy used to make her now very famous and certainly very distinctive Teddy Bears that sold in their thousands over the next few years. During the height of this company’s trading, some 27% of all toys exported from the UK and up to half of those toys sold domestically was made by the Wendy Boston Company.
With the advent of health and safety rules, Ken and Wendy could see that soon the Teddy Bear and other soft toys with glass eyes on wires (that so often rusted and broke) would be banned and so they set about trying to produce a screw lock plastic eye with rust proofed nuts and this they did, the design being released in 1948. The stuffing used in Teddy Bears was also soon to be a health and safety issue as teddies were beginning to be seen as slightly unhygenic. Then one day, whilst on a visit to Woolworths, Ken noticed some washable foam and bought a bag which he took back to the fact and experimented with. Initially he sliced the foam into strips and later into cubes. The foam was dustless, springy and quick-dry. Hey presto!!! soon the company had a fully washable teddy bear.
After the new washable teddy bear was tested it hit the market in 1954, being launched on the BBC in 1955. Sadly though what Ken and Wendy didn’t realise was these washable bears were not meant to last decades and become popular with collectors and tragically the foam blocks used to stuff the bears turned to sand or, after repeated washing, actually turned the foam to gloop. This is why when you see an old Wendy Boston Bear today they often look quite flat.Click images to enlargePaymentI prefer payment by Paypal. If you do not have a Paypal account I can accept payment by bank transfer (please contact me for my bank details). I will also accept payment by personal cheque (UK buyers only).ShippingI aim to ship all items as quickly as possible. I pack my items in new quality boxes (or padded envelopes for smaller, non-fragile items) and with sufficient fillers to keep your item safe on its journey. P&P charges are based on weight, packaging costs, handling time and insurance. I offer insured delivery as standard. Any items lost or damaged will be compensated for. If you wish to return an item, please make contact with me by eBay messaging or email before taking any other action. Please state the reason for your return. A full 100% money back guarantee is offered on every purchase if you are not satisfied with your item for any reason. The item must be returned within 14 days of receipt, in the same condition it was received and at your own cost. If you are outside the EU returned items MUST be marked ‘EBAY RETURN’ to avoid significant customs charges. Once the item has arrived safely back with me I will process your refund.
About UsI specialise in antique silver, vintage and antique jewellery and collectibles. I describe my items as accurantely as possible and in many cases seek independent professional opinion for confirmation of age and value. However, due to the nature of vintage and antique items, listing descriptions are a statement of opinion only. All measurements are approximate. Please ask if you have any questions. Thank you for looking!
Contact UsMy name is Paula. I am here to help and will try to get back to you as soon as possible during office hours. I can be reached via email at paulashorrocks@aol.com
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If you buy after clicking affiliate links on this site we might receive a commission from companies such as eBay, Amazon etc This does not affect the price you pay.
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