I would like to see the opinions of you all regarding buying a teddy bear for an adult. I’ve started seeing those ads for whatever company that makes the custom teddy bears. The women all squeal with delight and look at the recipient of the bear with unbridled envy. No way in HELL would I be happy to receive a teddy bear! And I don’t know any other women who would. I think this is a scam to take advantage of panicking men who have no idea what type of gifts women like. Why not ask the giftee what she would like? I don’t mean this to be a rant–am I just totally annoyed with those commercials. And those bears aren’t even cheap! Opinions please.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. If my husband had ever given me a teddy bear while we were dating, I would have wondered if he thought I was 12.
That said, some adults still sleep with teddy bears, so if their SO or friend bought them a teddy bear, it probably be because they knew them well enough to know they’d appreciate it.
Harumph. I gave my girlfriend a teddy bear years ago when I had to go remote for 6 months. It later become my older son’s favorite bear, and is now loved by younger son. My wife has made it clear that it comes back to her eventually.
Teddy Bears can be a good gift - you just have to know the recipient.
My husband has purchased me a teddy bear, but to our people (gay), bears have a different meaning.
I wouldn’t want someone to spend a fortune on one, but under the right circumstances, I would think it was sweet if someone got me a teddy bear. I’ve always liked stuffed animals.
I’ve known two or three women who liked stuffed animals, and were pleased to receive new ones as gifts until at least their late 20s.
Last time I checked, two of them, now in their 40s, still had a couple stuffed animals on display in their bedrooms even though I don’t think they would still appreciate being offered one.
Gotta agree with the OP. Teddy bears are like carnations. They scream: ‘Hey there, I like you, but more as a generic girl than someone I actually know anything about. And I’m probably cheap, too.’ Whenever anyone would get one in high school from a poor, misguided boy we’d all cringe and try to help her figure out what to do with the damn thing (teddies from childhood or with a ‘back story’ i.e. won at the fair by a real boyfriend, don’t count).
I’m 30 and last week when I was sick and miserable, my boyfriend showed up with Starbucks and a GIANT (It’s like… 3 and a half feet long) stuffed dog that says “I love you this much” on its side.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about it until he cleared his throat and said, “Actually, I love you more than that, but they didn’t have anything bigger.” 
It’s on my bed and it makes me smile whenever I look at it. I agree with Algher, you have to know the recipient.
I’m not much for stuffed animals.
That said, my SO got me a stuffed Snow Leopard from Build-A Bear for Valentine’s Day two years ago, and I love it. It has a little t-shirt on with a personalized saying that made it really special.
I agree with Algher and malkavia. You have to know the person for whom you’re getting it.
The last Valentine’s day we were together, my now ex brought home a large white stuffed bear holding a box of candy. Long story short, the bear went to live in the dumpster. The worst part of getting a teddy bear for a gift was my knowing he bought it from a street vendor at the last minute. It really was the thought that counted. I bought him a bottle of port that I special ordered a month earlier because I saw an article in the paper featuring a winery we’d visited and he’d made comment on liking to try their port.
(Wow. I still have issues!)
No teddy bears for adults unless they voice how they’ve always wanted one of those build a bears.
I wouldn’t like to receive a teddy bear. But I was tickled by a Vermont Teddy Bear that my bro got his wife. She got an alien bear - looks like a bear until you take his FACE off and it’s a little green man. Surprisingly hilarious…really
http://www.vermontteddybear.com/SellGroup/Alien-Bear.aspx?utm_campaign=SLI+Site+Champion&bhcp=1
That’s how I feel too. I would consider it a nice gesture if my boyfriend gave me a stuffed animal. I wouldn’t assume that he was treating me like a kid or anything like that. I think it’s more about wanting to transfer the “cute and cuddly” feelings such a gift is supposed to inspire to the person giving it.
I have never met a Thai woman who did not go gaga over a stuffed animal.
Good enough for Radar O’Reilly; good enough for me.
A bear is a bit generic. I’d love to get a stuffed animal (though it would probably be swiped by the Small Folks), but bears are boring.
We have some friends who had their wedding registry at Folkmanis. Now there’s some nice plush gifties 
They currently have about 6 bookcases filled with soft toys of all varieties. Not many bears, though.
I currently have two little stuffies on display. One is a pink kitten that I won at last year’s Oscar party (I’m wicked at movie trivia) and the other is Mouse.
Mouse has a history. About seven yeares ago my sons and I got collecting those supermarket machine animals. The top three were Mouse, Ian, a weasal and Mikey, a smaller panda. They were a family.
One day the real rats got to Mouse, She had fallen behind the couch and by the time we found her, part of one ear and the upper left side of her head was gone. Now, Mouse herself is kind of fuchia and I happened to have a purple sweater that was pretty well done. I took off the cuff of one sleeve, sewed it together and made Mouse a very stylin’, vaguely Russian, hat. She looks great!
Anyway, she ended up with me when I moved out. I do love her dearly.
Yeah, if The Guy showed up with a teddy, I’d probably squeeze the stuffing out of him.
Well,
I suppose I’m not really woman in the right that I do not have my own home, I am not out of school, and I don’t have my career established, however, I don’t feel my opinion on this will change any time soon.
Given the right situation, I think a teddy bear can be a very cute and clever gift. I wouldn’t want something commercial, like something for valentines day with hearts all over it, with a stupid fabric flower in its hand… However…
… If it were for something else, purely for thought, a teddy bear that really had some thought behind it (something that related to me) I feel I would be absolutely ecstatic… I’m not really that hard to please anyway… So I guess that it’s not really fair in comparison…
Oh, and there is an Alice Cooper teddy out there, so I hear. My birthday was this past Sunday.
Just sayin…
Oh my God no. Not another piece of useless junk taking up shelf space collecting dust. If my SO wants to make me smile, he can either do a chore “he didn’t get around to” or, better yet, give me a card or letter saying sweet things in his own words.
I should add: A stuffed animal was the deal-sealer with the wife. Back when we were starting to date at the U of Hawaii, she had this cloth thing tacked to the outside of the door of her room at the East West Center on campus. It had a medium-sized pocket, and I slipped a little stuffed seal in it late one night for her to find the next morning. That was it! I became hers forever. Today, the seal is on our teakwood nightstand by the bed, minus his whiskers at this late date.