Residing in the midlands of England, in quaint Coventry, Warwichshire, a land known for cars and the notorious Lady Godiva, lives an artist named Jenny Johnson.

Her passion for bears began 5 years ago when her niece, then 13, began collecting pandas. Jenny used to accompany her sister to the stores shopping for her niece and wonder why people would buy such expensive toys. It wasn't until she visited a specialty shop in Shropshire, that she became captivated by all the bears and went home determined to have a go at bear making. "I started with a kit from Oakley fabrics and in no time, I was hooked," said Jenny.

Though majoring in art and design at college, Jenny later decided she would become a hairdresser which gave her a wonderful and ongoing career, resulting in many awards and a nomination in the prestigious British Hairdressing Awards. In addition to her thriving business in hairdressing, she found an interest in photography as well. She hadn't realized that these interests would all come together in Three O'Clock Bears.

Now armed with a passion for bear making, Jenny used her varying talents to create teddy bears. Drawing inspiration from her childhood memories, she feels her bear faces reflect that sense of nostalgia. "I think my bears are best known for their soulful expressions; wide eyes and sweet characters. I set out to achieve this look when I first began making bears." Jenny remarked, "The face alone can take me upwards of 12 hours to sculpt, scissor and shade."

Originally, Jenny was going to name her company, The Sunday Bears because that was a day when she had time to make bears, only on Sundays. Her husband Steve said, "What time on a Sunday?" A ping went off inside her head, "That was it. The Three O'Clock Bears were born!" Jenny recalled smiling. She notes now that they are made daily and sometimes at three o'clock in the morning!

Sticking mainly with traditional methods of bear making, Jenny has also experimented with techniques for eyelids and nose stitching. "I tend to change my pattern with each new look. I redesign my patterns ten times a year to create three or four totally new bears." Making anywhere from 100 to 120 bears per year, Jenny sells her bears through her website, occasionally on eBay and attends two to three Hugglets Fairs a year.

Jenny's attention to detail has many collectors looking. "I am always amazed at their enthusiasm for my bears which now live in appreciative homes all over the world," she recounted. With nominations for various awards in England and the United States and features in numerous magazines, she's definitely making her mark in the industry.

Jenny Johnson

Three O'Clock Bears

Member since March 2005