| Vermont Teddy Bear Company |
Article Index for Vermont |
Website Links For Vermont |
Information AboutVermont Teddy Bear Company |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT VERMONT TEDDY BEAR COMPANY | |
| newport city, vermont | |
| companies based in vermont | |
| shelburne, vermont | |
| toy companies of the united states | |
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The company was founded in 1981 by John Sortino, who sold handcrafted teddy bears in an open-air market in Burlington , Vermont . Sortino happened upon the idea of packaging and selling bears through the mail when a tourist visiting Burlington wanted a bear mailed to her home. The concept was called the "Bear-Gram", which features the customized teddy bear placed in a box (complete with an "air hole") and stuffed with other goodies. By and one in Newport . The company also maintains two retail locations in Shelburne and nearby Waterbury An upscale flower company by the name of Calyx & Corolla, headquartered in Vero Beach, Florida , was bought by Vermont Teddy Bear in 2003 . Ironically, one of Vermont Teddy Bear's marketing slogans claims that sending a teddy bear is "a creative alternative to sending flowers". In 2005 , the company launched a new sister company, Gift Bag Boutique, which offers handbags and purses along with many Make-up accessories. The creation of this sister company brings the total number of companies under the Vermont Teddy Bear umbrella to five. "CRAZY" CONTROVERSY For Valentine's Day of 2005 , Vermont Teddy Bear caused widespread controversy by offering a "Crazy for You" Bear. The bear was offered dressed in a white Straight Jacket with a red heart embroidered onto the front of the jacket. A tag entitled "Commitment Papers" came with the bear. The tag read "''Can't eat, can't sleep, my heart's racing. Diagnosis – crazy for you.''" Mental health groups from all over the U.S. asked for the bear to be pulled out of production and removed from VTB's website. Many groups called for a boycott of the company. They claimed that the bear stigmatized those people suffering from a mental illness. The company's response was that there was no offense intended and it was merely a play on the phrase "I'm crazy about you". The company claimed that the bear was intended to be a light-hearted depiction of the sentiment of love. When asked to remove the bear from their inventory, VTB responded by keeping their existing stock up for sale although they stated that they would not make any more in the future. The price of the bears from VTB was US$69.95. Soon after the controversy started the "Crazy" bears could be found on EBay with bids reaching $100-200. After the company sold out, which happened within just a few days of the story hitting the news, the eBay bids reached several hundred dollars. SISTER COMPANIES There are a total of four companies under the Vermont Teddy Bear umbrella. The sister companies of Vermont Teddy Bear include:
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