Is Vermont Teddy Bear Made in USA?
Last verified: March 2026 · Based on 28 verified products and public manufacturing evidence
Partially — Some Products Made in USA
Vermont Teddy Bear's core product lines are made in the USA in Shelburne, VT, but the brand has known exceptions where some products are manufactured overseas. Look for explicit "Made in USA" labeling on individual items.
Verification Confidence
Average confidence score across 28 verified products — scores ≥70% are shown on this site.
Manufacturing Details
- Made in
- Shelburne, VT
- Headquarters
- Shelburne, VT
- Location detail
- Specific city confirmed
- History
- Long-established (50+ years)
- Founded
- 1983
- Note
- Some product lines manufactured overseas
Verification Evidence
Classic cut-and-sewn teddy bears are 100% manufactured in Shelburne, Vermont since 1983. Founded by John Sortino. Super Soft/Oh So Soft plush lines use imported shells that are hand-stuffed and finished domestically. Fill material is 100% recycled from US-sourced repurposed plastic bottles. Fur sourced from Wisconsin mills. Acquired by Vermont Flannel owners in April 2024. Factory tours draw 40,000+ visitors/year. Lifetime Bear Hospital guarantee serviced at Shelburne facility.
About Vermont Teddy Bear
Vermont Teddy Bear Company has handcrafted teddy bears in Shelburne, Vermont since 1983, making it the longest-running American teddy bear manufacturer and the originator of the Bear-Gram gift delivery concept.
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.
American-Made Vermont Teddy Bear Products
View all 28 products →
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Vermont Teddy Bear made in the USA?
Vermont Teddy Bear is partially made in the United States. Core product lines are American-made in Shelburne, VT, but some products have known exceptions. Classic cut-and-sewn teddy bears are 100% manufactured in Shelburne, Vermont since 1983. Founded by John Sortino. Super Soft/Oh So Soft plush lines use imported shells that are hand-stuffed and finished domestically. Fill material is 100% recycled from US-sourced repurposed plastic bottles. Fur sourced from Wisconsin mills. Acquired by Vermont Flannel owners in April 2024. Factory tours draw 40,000+ visitors/year. Lifetime Bear Hospital guarantee serviced at Shelburne facility.
Where is Vermont Teddy Bear manufactured?
Vermont Teddy Bear manufactures its products in Shelburne, VT. The company is headquartered in Shelburne, VT.
Which Vermont Teddy Bear products are made in the USA?
We carry 28 verified American-made Vermont Teddy Bear products across Baby & Kids, Toys & Games. Every listing is linked directly to Amazon with verified manufacturing evidence.
Are all Vermont Teddy Bear products made in the USA?
Not all Vermont Teddy Bear products are made in the USA. The brand has known product lines or SKUs manufactured outside the United States. Look for explicit "Made in USA" labeling on individual products, or browse our verified Vermont Teddy Bear products which have all passed our verification threshold.