Here's something I designed while a Design Manager at The Franklin Mint (TFM). This was my last program at TFM so I didn't get to finish everything but it was a fun project while it lasted. I chose English artist, Christine Pike, who prototyped and designed the bear itself because she made the coolest bears with open mouths & TEETH!! I named him "Tiny" in the 2D stage and was surprised it stuck, he was given an embroidered tattoo with it on his arm...a novel thing for bears at the time. In the end, his teeth were dropped because some thought it might scare collectors! There are so many little secret bits I remember about this bear that no one person at TFM or its predecessor would know today. Oh yeah like, his portly girth was inspired by the Marketing group's name for the first issue which had something to do with Harley Davidson's "Fatboy" motorcycle! With a large direct purchasing manufacturer like TFM there were legions of individuals involved in the design & production of this bear of which I was honored to be the individual who first visualized the bear and pulled all the pieces together to develop 2D and eventually a 3D bear. I really loved this little guy and thought he embodied the best of what I brought to TFM.
At some point it appears the bear's name changed to "Tiny Tim"...I didn't know that until just now! Wish I could still be doing bears...they were so much fun :) Harley Davidson, if you're listening...
