Cheeky Bear

Merrythought

£165

Created in 1955 by accomplished designer, Jean Barber, this cheerful character appeared in that year’s trials book, simply named ‘Teddy T’. Legend has it that at The British Industries Fair in the same year, attended by Queen Elizabeth II, Her Late Majesty was introduced to the new 'Teddy T', and subsequently exclaimed 'what a cheeky little bear!'. This celebrated character would thereafter always be known as 'Cheeky Bear', and debuted as ‘the new bear of irresistible charm’ in Merrythought’s 1957 catalogue. Cheeky still holds an important place in Merrythought's collection seven decades later

Merrythought's own words, read from their page.

Buy from MerrythoughtPrice seen 2026-09-04. Affiliate link.

Where this comes from

The part other shops don't tell you. Three separate questions, kept separate on purpose, each with its source.

UK company
Registered at Companies House as MERRYTHOUGHT LIMITED, number 00250646. Checked 2026-08-29.
Means the business is a British legal entity, not a British-sounding name owned elsewhere. It says nothing about where anything is made.
UK operations
Stated by the company: "The original factory in Ironbridge, Shropshire, remains Merrythought's home to this day; a magical place where each teddy bear is brought to life using the finest materials and traditional craftsmanship that has been handed down the four generations of the company." Source.
Means people employed here, or premises they actually work from. We keep this separate from the company badge because a registered office can be an accountant's spare room, and a company can be registered in Britain while everything it does happens somewhere else. Where we have not looked, we say so rather than assuming.
British-owned
No majority shareholding traced outside the UK. Companies House.
Read from the register of people with significant control, following the chain of holding companies. It does not gate anything: a firm can be made here and owned elsewhere, and that is worth telling you rather than hiding.
Where it is made
The maker doesn't say, so neither do we.
This is about the individual product, not the company. A British firm can sell things made abroad, which is normal and not a criticism. We would rather tell you which is which than average them into a score.