Vermont Teddy Bear

25 verified products

HQ: Shelburne, VTMade in: Shelburne, Vermont

Est. 1983

Heritage & History

John Sortino founded Vermont Teddy Bear in 1983 after noticing that his infant son owned 38 stuffed animals — not one of which was made in the United States. Sortino had been sewing bears by hand since 1981, starting on his wife's sewing machine in their Burlington home, and his first creation was a mustachioed bear he named Bearcho after Groucho Marx. He began selling his handcrafted bears from a peddler's cart at an open-air market in Burlington, and on his first serious day of selling, he moved 100 of the 200 bears he had brought.

The company's breakthrough came in early 1990, when Sortino took the Bear-Gram concept — a personalized, costume-dressed bear shipped in a keepsake box complete with an air hole — to New York radio. Live endorsement spots on Z-100 flooded the company's three phone lines, and within two days Vermont Teddy Bear had met its sales goal for the entire year. Annual revenues climbed fivefold to $1.75 million by the end of 1990, and the Bear-Gram repositioned teddy bears as a gift for adults competing with flowers and candy. The company went public on NASDAQ under the ticker BEAR in December 1993, and sales reached $20.6 million by 1994. After a period of leadership transitions and financial recalibration, the company was taken private in 2005 by Boston-based private equity firm The Mustang Group. In April 2024, the owners of Vermont Flannel Company acquired Vermont Teddy Bear, uniting two Vermont-made craft brands under shared ownership.

Made in Shelburne, Vermont

The Shelburne factory is an active manufacturing facility and one of Vermont's most-visited tourist destinations, drawing more than 40,000 guests a year who watch bears being cut, sewn, stuffed, and finished by hand on the factory floor. The company produces two primary lines: the Classic Bear, which is 100% manufactured in the United States with American-sourced jointing hardware, suede details, and fill material made from recycled water bottles, and the Soft and Huggable line, whose plush shells are imported but hand-stuffed and finished domestically. Much of the bear fur comes from Wisconsin-based mills. Skilled sewing technicians cut fabric using computer-driven tables and handle the hand-assembly work that gives each bear its finished shape.

Every Vermont Teddy Bear product carries a lifetime guarantee backed by an in-house Bear Hospital that repairs and restores bears at no charge — an expression of the company's philosophy that something made well enough deserves to last indefinitely. The Shelburne factory also produces fully custom bears built to individual specifications, including bears dressed in wedding attire, military dress uniforms, and occupational costumes. Since the 2024 acquisition by Vermont Flannel's owners, the two brands have begun collaborating on co-branded products, reinforcing a commitment to Vermont-made craftsmanship that runs through both companies.

Vermont Teddy Bear

Heritage & History

Made in Shelburne, Vermont

Vermont Teddy Bear Super Soft Almond Brown 18 Inch Plush

Vermont Teddy Bear Classic Mini Hunk 18 Inch Light Honey

Vermont Teddy Bear Police Officer Bear 15 Inch Classic

Vermont Teddy Bear Giant Cuddle Collection 4 Foot Plush

Vermont Teddy Bear Stuffed Animal 13 Inch Almond Brown

Vermont Teddy Bear Stuffed Animal 13 Inch Buttercream

Vermont Teddy Bear Buddy Collection 15 Inch Brown Plush

Vermont Teddy Bear Classic 18 Inch Super Soft Buttercream

Vermont Teddy Bear Oh So Soft 18 Inch Brown Plush

Vermont Teddy Bear Cuddle Chunk 15 Inch Buttercream

Vermont Teddy Bear Giant 4 Foot Brown Teddy Bear

Vermont Teddy Bear Large 3 Foot Stuffed Animal

Vermont Teddy Bear Life Size 6 Foot Giant Teddy Bear

Vermont Teddy Bear Get Well Bear 18 Inch with Blue Bow

Vermont Teddy Bear Happy Birthday Bear 18 Inch

Vermont Teddy Bear Congratulations 18 Inch Super Soft

Vermont Teddy Bear I Love You Bear 18 Inch

Vermont Teddy Bear I Love You 13 Inch Brown

Vermont Teddy Bear Valentine Brown with Red Bow 18 Inch

Vermont Teddy Bear Stuffed Bunny 18 Inch Plush

Vermont Teddy Bear Buddy Collection 15 Inch Ivory Bunny

Vermont Teddy Bear Penguin Plush 18 Inch Black

Vermont Teddy Bear Buddy Collection 15 Inch Sloth Plush

Vermont Teddy Bear Super Soft 20 Inch Golden Brown

Vermont Teddy Bear Baby Bear Pink Plush

Frequently Asked Questions

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