Ming Panda

Merrythought

£199

Ming Panda was the first giant panda to set paws on British soil in 1838. Arriving at London Docks as a cub, she went on to give a much-welcomed boost to the nation’s morale following the outbreak of World War 2, and even met the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret during a visit to London Zoo. In 1939, Merrythought was commissioned by London Zoo to create a life-like (and life-sized!) copy of the famous giant panda to act as a stand-in when she wasn’t in her enclosure – Ming frequently starred in topical films about her species as well as media appearances. Rising to the challenge, Merryt

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.