My Life in Paris: Grin and Bear It

Scouring Paris’s famous flea markets, Theadora finds herself some new cuddly friends…

At last, my love has come along and life is bopping, like a Rick Astley pop song. I had seen them before at the Paris puces, looking cheeky and charming, and had even shot a few photos of them at the Porte de Vanves flea market. But somehow, I had always been able to walk away without making a commitment. This time, though, I couldn’t say no to the cute, fuzzy bear with the thick, black, dented leather nose and blue glass eyes staring directly at me from the vendor’s table. In one fell swoop, I scooped up that bear and both of his ursine sisters.

I guess I was feeling nostalgic for one of my happy places: the Paris doll museum. Le Musée de la Poupée would easily have captured my imagination at age ten, but it still held magical appeal whenever I visited it as a grown-up. Sadly, after 20-odd years, Samy Odin’s sweet museum closed, unable to keep the building security up to European code. I was heartbroken. For years, I’d been able to go and revel in its floor-to-ceiling collection of vintage dolls and cuddly stuffed animal plushies whenever I needed a boost.

Musée de la poupée

I wasn’t the only one. The studio at Impasse Berthaud was always packed with serious collectors and people of all ages needing assistance with their broken dolls. La Docteur Miracle was usually on call on Thursday afternoons, mending eyeballs, replacing lashes, reattaching limbs and repairing heads. The adjacent shop carried books, catalogues, postcards and exquisite doll clothing in capsules.

Sybarite dolls held court at the entrance, inspired by articulated 17th-century fashion dolls that, long before magazines and online shopping, the Paris fashion industry used to market their creations to an international clientele. Even Henri IV sent dolls dressed in the latest styles to his fiancée Marie de Medici in Italy so she could arrive in Paris already wearing an au courant outfit. One of the museum’s final shows explored the relationship between dolls and teddy bears. There were guided tours, book signings, and Antiques Roadshow-style identification sessions. The best farewell tea party ever, but then it was all gone.

Destiny calling

So how could I not feel wistful at the flea market when I saw that bear with his big eyes and stitched-on smile? My new plush BFF (made by French company Aux Nations in 1984) absolutely lifted my spirits. But I was hardly the first to discover the healing powers of bear-shaped plush. The link between humans and cute toy bears was forged in 1902, when Washington Post cartoonist Clifford Berryman published a caricature poking fun at presidential big game hunter Theodore Roosevelt’s refusal to shoot a small bear. The drawing inspired Morris and Rose Michtom to handcraft a very similar-looking little toy bear in stuffed velveteen. When “Teddy’s Bear” appeared in their New York shop window, it launched a global toy boom.

German toy entrepreneur Margarete Steiff soon seized the European manufacturing lead, followed by toy makers worldwide. During the First World War, French toy companies supplied the army with mascot bears as comforting companions in the trenches. Evacuated children were given bears to accompany them to the countryside, attached to gas masks so the youngsters take care not to lose their masks.

Today, we’ve still got a soft spot for stuffed animals. Contact with furry plush not only relieves stress and helps alleviate feelings of anxiety and grief, but studies by Stanford University have suggested that plushies also combat isolation by stimulating feelings of connection and wellness.

Together forever

During my next trip to Porte de Vanves, I not only scored another bear or two for my growing collection, but I also splurged on a few other cuddly companions for friends, because sharing is caring. Besides, I’m doing my bit to address the massive problem of plush waste. Key takeaway: Don’t worry, my fuzzy bears-as Rick Astley likes to sing to teddies, “Never gonna give you up! Never gonna let you down!”

From France Today Magazine

Theadora Brack has lived in Paris since 2003 and is the author of the peopleplacesandbling.com blog