Loved to bits
It started as a simple idea: to photograph some ‘loved to bits’ teddy bears for an exhibition. I got the idea from watching my son, Calum. I was struck by how attached he was to his Peter Rabbit; the way he squeezed it with delight, the way he buried his nose in it. So, I put the call out for people to bring in their much-loved teddies – the more falling apart the better – to be photographed. I expected mostly children, but the idea appealed to adults, too. It was as though they had been keeping a long-held secret and could fi nally tell someone what their teddies really meant to them. Here are some of the best…
Extracted from Much Loved by Mark Nixon (Abrams Image, £10.99).
Age 24
Height 13in
‘Pink teddy was born on Christmas Day 1988, when I was six months old. Back then, he was bright pink with a red waistcoat, and we were inseparable. He even came to college with me, but the morning after a huge house party, I saw something awful… Pink teddy had been ripped limb to limb. I was distraught and I rang my mam and bawled down the phone. My great-aunt managed to patch him. That was nearly four years ago and he is still looking good.’
Age 42
Height 36in
Teddy was given to Derek by his mam when he was born. Teddy now wears an outfit Derek wore when he was a child.
Age 22-plus
Height 18in
This bear is from the TV show Mr Bean. Over the years, Teddy has undergone several changes. When he debuted on The Trouble With Mr Bean, he had a smaller head. Two episodes later, his head reached its current size, but his eyes were not present until Mr Bean placed gold thumbtacks on his face. His ‘eyes’ have since been replaced with two small white buttons, giving him a distinct image.
Age Unknown
Height 4in
‘This little bear is a memory of one of the most incredible men in my life,’ said Ali. ‘Greg Carroll became a great friend to me and Bono in the early 1980s. In 1986 he died at the age of 26 in a motor accident in Dublin, and he left a giant hole in our lives. Greg was a Maori, and at his tangi, the traditional Maori funeral rite, a mate of his handed us this oneeared teddy bear. It was Greg’s, and it has been with us ever since… a fragment of Greg’s reality; gone but never forgotten.’
Age 7
Height 8in
Patsy belongs to Tom’s son, also Tom, who has had him all his life. One day, Tom Sr had to leave early from a family holiday in Waterford. On arriving back in Dublin, he received a phone call asking if he had Patsy. Sure enough, there was Patsy sitting in the back seat. Tom had to turn round and drive two hours back to Waterford so his son wouldn’t miss his teddy.
Age 40
Height 17in
'I knitted Giovanni (formally Joe) in primary school when I was about eight years old. When Joe was completed, he had a misshapen head and too-large nose, and I didn't like him very much. Many years later when I was in medical school, I took pity on him and performed some cosmetic surgery, giving him a new nose and a better head.'
Age 44
Height 11½in
‘When I was about four, Bear went missing. My grandmother had given him to me and inconsolable months went by, until Bear was discovered stuffed into the couch under the cushions. During his absence, I had maintained a very idealised vision of him, and this threadbare creature was not it. I was devastated again. In a short while, though, I looked past his physical flaws and we were in love for many more years.’
Age 40-plus
Height 14in
Originally Teddy had yellow fur and pink hands. He was left behind on a trip and successfully made it home through the postal service. Suzanne says if the house was burning down, Teddy is the one thing she’d rescue.
Age 78
Height 19in
‘This teddy was given to my father, Ken, on his first birthday in 1935. His mother, Eva, my granny, made the clothes for Teddy. My father, in his cot, used to love standing on Teddy’s chest to make him growl. When he was seven, he gave Teddy to his little sister Nola as a present. ‘Nola is the family historian and she has kept a lot of family bits and pieces. She gave Teddy to my son Calum a couple of years ago after my father died. It was the first time I had seen or heard anything about him.’
Extracted from Much Loved by Mark Nixon (Abrams Image, £10.99).
1 PINK TEDDY (pictured above)
Belongs to Aisling HurleyAge 24
Height 13in
‘Pink teddy was born on Christmas Day 1988, when I was six months old. Back then, he was bright pink with a red waistcoat, and we were inseparable. He even came to college with me, but the morning after a huge house party, I saw something awful… Pink teddy had been ripped limb to limb. I was distraught and I rang my mam and bawled down the phone. My great-aunt managed to patch him. That was nearly four years ago and he is still looking good.’
2 TEDDY
Belongs to Derek WardAge 42
Height 36in
Teddy was given to Derek by his mam when he was born. Teddy now wears an outfit Derek wore when he was a child.
3 TEDDY
Belongs to Rowan Atkinson/Tiger Aspect ProductionsAge 22-plus
Height 18in
This bear is from the TV show Mr Bean. Over the years, Teddy has undergone several changes. When he debuted on The Trouble With Mr Bean, he had a smaller head. Two episodes later, his head reached its current size, but his eyes were not present until Mr Bean placed gold thumbtacks on his face. His ‘eyes’ have since been replaced with two small white buttons, giving him a distinct image.
4 GREG’S BEAR
Belongs to Bono and Ali HewsonAge Unknown
Height 4in
‘This little bear is a memory of one of the most incredible men in my life,’ said Ali. ‘Greg Carroll became a great friend to me and Bono in the early 1980s. In 1986 he died at the age of 26 in a motor accident in Dublin, and he left a giant hole in our lives. Greg was a Maori, and at his tangi, the traditional Maori funeral rite, a mate of his handed us this oneeared teddy bear. It was Greg’s, and it has been with us ever since… a fragment of Greg’s reality; gone but never forgotten.’
5 PATSY
Belongs to Tom McLoughlinAge 7
Height 8in
Patsy belongs to Tom’s son, also Tom, who has had him all his life. One day, Tom Sr had to leave early from a family holiday in Waterford. On arriving back in Dublin, he received a phone call asking if he had Patsy. Sure enough, there was Patsy sitting in the back seat. Tom had to turn round and drive two hours back to Waterford so his son wouldn’t miss his teddy.
6 GIOVANNI
Belongs to Maria HurleyAge 40
Height 17in
'I knitted Giovanni (formally Joe) in primary school when I was about eight years old. When Joe was completed, he had a misshapen head and too-large nose, and I didn't like him very much. Many years later when I was in medical school, I took pity on him and performed some cosmetic surgery, giving him a new nose and a better head.'
7 BEAR
Belongs to David CashionAge 44
Height 11½in
‘When I was about four, Bear went missing. My grandmother had given him to me and inconsolable months went by, until Bear was discovered stuffed into the couch under the cushions. During his absence, I had maintained a very idealised vision of him, and this threadbare creature was not it. I was devastated again. In a short while, though, I looked past his physical flaws and we were in love for many more years.’
8 TEDDY
Belongs to Suzanne KeaneyAge 40-plus
Height 14in
Originally Teddy had yellow fur and pink hands. He was left behind on a trip and successfully made it home through the postal service. Suzanne says if the house was burning down, Teddy is the one thing she’d rescue.
9 TEDDY
Belongs to Ken Nixon and Calum NixonAge 78
Height 19in
‘This teddy was given to my father, Ken, on his first birthday in 1935. His mother, Eva, my granny, made the clothes for Teddy. My father, in his cot, used to love standing on Teddy’s chest to make him growl. When he was seven, he gave Teddy to his little sister Nola as a present. ‘Nola is the family historian and she has kept a lot of family bits and pieces. She gave Teddy to my son Calum a couple of years ago after my father died. It was the first time I had seen or heard anything about him.’