Giving a Charlie Bear

A Charlie Bear is a present with a name, a range and a little bit of bear history tucked behind it. Charlie Bears began with Charlotte "Charlie" Morris and William Morris, and the first collection of 12 bears launched on 1 February 2006.

Why a bear makes a good present

Different Charlie Bears ranges suit different shelves and different ages. Bearhouse Bears are the children's range, made for 18 months and over, not jointed and machine washable.

The Plush range is the core Charlie Bears range, fully jointed and mostly open edition. Plumo bears mix plush with mohair or alpaca touches, are limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide, and are for ages 3 and over. Isabelle bears use mohair and alpaca, come in editions of 200 to 500 pieces with numbered certificates, and are recommended for collectors aged 14 and over.

Minimo bears are miniature mohair characters, made for the collector shelf rather than the toy basket. Most Charlie Bears characters are five-way jointed, so the head, both arms and both legs move.

Choosing between the ranges

The range is the neatest place to start. A Bearhouse Bear belongs with small children, while Isabelle and Minimo sit more naturally with collectors who like tags, certificates and tiny details.

Plush and Plumo sit between those two corners. Plush is the core range, while Plumo has mohair or alpaca touches and a worldwide edition size of 1,000 pieces for each character. A limited-edition bear carries the bear's name and edition number on a neck tag, and a sewn label confirms the maker.

Charlie Year Bear 2026 gives the date pride of place, while Fire Elf is led by a character name. The 2024 Charlie Bear Birthday Bear belongs to the birthday bear line, released each year on the company's own birthday.

The year bear and the birthday bear

The Charlie Year Bear is one bear a year, with the same name and a new design each time. The 2026 edition is the 18th Charlie Year Bear, and each year is limited to 1,500 worldwide.

A year bear can mark a year without saying very much out loud. The date is right there in the name, sitting on the tag like a small timestamp. The Birthday Bear is different, because it is released each year on the company's own birthday.

Charlie Bears has created over 2,500 designs and supplies over 500 shops worldwide, according to the company. That makes the dated bears useful little signposts in a very full bear cupboard.

Wrapping, posting and the shop

Goldenhands offers free gift wrapping on every order, with the box ticked in the basket. Free UK delivery is on orders over £19.95.

The website is a limited selection of what is in the George Street shop, and the shop has a lot more variety. If a bear has sold out online, give the shop a ring on 01424 439674 and we can help find other options.

Goldenhands Gift Shop is family run, open seven days, and has been trading at 30 George Street in Hastings Old Town since 1987. Charlie Bears are on the site here: https://goldenhands.co.uk/collections/charlie-bears