On a last minute family trip to Burlington, Vermont, we began searching the area for some toddler friendly activities. Staying only 1 mile from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company Factory in Shelburne, VT, it was suggested we take a tour of the factory. My son received a Vermont Teddy Bear from his grandparents for his first birthday, but because I knew how expensive the teddy bear initially was, up until this past week, his bear had a permanent residence on a shelf in his bedroom sadly as mainly a decoration.
After we arrived at the factory, there were a few areas outside to place your head in some bear billboards for photographs, which we personally found "beary entertaining!" After passing through the front doors, we entered a very large retail store that was full of many different choices of Vermont Teddy Bears and accessories. Tours are provided every 1/2 hour, so as adults we paid the $3 admission free each and roamed the store until the tour began. Kids under 12 enter free.
I honestly was not sure what to expect, but the tour was a lot of fun. It was filled with history of how the Vermont Teddy Bear Company began, all because a father, John Sortino, wanted to create a toy for his son, which he initially called "Bearcho." Though Mr. Sortino is not the owner of the company today, through his persistence, he perfected the design of the bear, which is a soft, customizable 15 inch bear with special ball and socket joints, also known as "the bear bones," which allow the bear's arms and legs to be posed. Even though production wasn't happening that particular day because we toured on a Sunday, we still got a very personal, behind the scenes view, of what occurs in the Shelburne factory. I couldn't believe it when I heard that over 750 bears are
made by hand, every day in Vermont.
In general the tour was only 1/2 hour long, but was very informative, and filled with some very cute bear puns that gave us many giggles. My son ended up being the highlight of the group pointing at the bears from his stroller saying in true toddler fashion, "Mine!" The Vermont Teddy Bear Company, in my opinion, provides an individualized product that is a unique gift for a variety of celebrations and events. Though the bear is costly with prices starting at $49.99, after viewing the process, and hearing about the unconditional lifetime guarantee, the Vermont Teddy Bear Company is committed to providing a high quality product that is made right here in the United States.
Please read my full review of the Vermont Teddy Bear here. Visit the Vermont Teddy Bear Company website here.