The Bears' E! True Bearywood Story:

Fudgie
Date of Birth: October 29, 1994
Sex: Male
Toes or big feet: Really big feet!  (He's rather proud of them) -- still our only big bear with no toes.
Favorite Food:  Chocolate, esp. dark & expensive
Favorite Drink:  Latte
Favorite thing:  Sleeping all day on the bed
Big Bed Tours:  Honeymoon, Kelowna, Houston trip
Time as youngest (only) Bear: Fudgie was the only bear in the family for an astounding 1059 days!
Nickname(s):  Little Bear, Stinkybear, Grumpy Bear
Story:  Fudgie had everything, and then it all came crashing down.  Joe married Lynda and let her have another bear.  The bed had been his alone, now he had to share.  Lattes his special treat, now he had to share.  Sharing has never been Fudgie's strong suit, but with so many other bears in the house he's learning!  He's one of only three bears to have met Grandma Lyn and Grandpa Joe and regales the others with stories of dancing with Grandma. He's been the first bear to do a lot of things and so he also gets to name them, like "Big Bed Tour", named for all the different beds you get to sleep in on vacations -- to a bear, the bed's the only priority.  He told me not to tell you that he used to be addicted to Melrose Place, but since he tries to push me out of bed every night so he can have more room, now you know.  He's actually got quite the trash TV addiction: Cheaters is his current favorite.  Fudgie, Fudgie, Fudgie.  Fudgie has decided that the world would benefit from his wisdom and has created his own blog.  He's especially prolific when Lynda is out of town -- look for lots of blogging then.  Fudgie just celebrated his TENTH birthday with Joe (on his 38th) and is astonished that he could be that old!
 

Brownie
Date of Birth:  Sept. 22, 1997
Sex:  Male
Toes or big feet:  Toes!  Our first bear with toes!
Favorite Food:  Chocolate, esp. milk chocolate
Favorite Drink:  Latte
Favorite thing:  Sleeping all day and hugs
Big Bed Tour:  The Houston Trip (March 1998)
Time as youngest bear:  274 days
Nickname(s):  Babybear, Bundle Bear, Galumphy Bear, Squeamish Bear
Story:  Brownie had everything, and then it all came crashing down.  He got a new family which included a brother but the new brother sat on his head and farted.  Hmmmm, older brothers aren't all that great.  But the boys have come to a truce with the addition of more siblings.  Brownie is more easygoing than Fudgie and loves afternoon naps with Joe.  He also enjoys watching Baseball with Joe and drinking lattes with Lynda.  Brownie is very proud of his toes, he was the first bear in the family with toes.  Brownie first showed his squeamishness when he fainted after seeing Lynda's arm after she gave blood.  After that Joe has taken to describing all his injuries in great detail until Brownie quietly passes out.  The only upside is that he usually wakes up in Lynda's arms being cuddled and comforted.  Poor little bear!
 

Cookie
Date of Birth:  June 23/98
Sex:  Female -- our first girl bear and our first little bear
Toes or big feet:  No toes -- big feet
Favorite Food:  Cocoa Crispies & Mini (Teeny) Wheats.
Favorite Drink:  Chocolate Milk
Favorite thing:  Watching Buffy with Joe
Big Bed Tour: New Orleans, Vancouver/San Rafael 11/04
Time as youngest bear:  80 days
Nickname(s):  Teeny Bear, The Slayer
Story:  Cookie had everything, teeny size, status as sole small and female bear, and then it all came crashing down.  She got sisters (and more brothers!).  Suddenly not the only belle of the ball, she turned to television and adopted the role of slayer.  Don't worry Sarah Michelle, we keep a close eye on her.  Actually Cookie loves her siblings and has a special place in Fudgie's heart -- he lets her get away with more than any of the others -- he hugs her when she jumps on him instead of pounding her.  She is one of only two bears with a morning disposition, and eats cereal in the mornings with Joe.  That "Teeny Wheat" sugar rush gets her going!  Unfortunately, somewhere along the line she got the idea that she could drive and has been giving driving lessons to all the other bears.  Cookie is an awful driver -- a total leadpaw.  Don't let her anywhere near your car -- luckily she's too short to reach the pedals.  When pleased, she likes to do the "Cookie Wiggle".  In November 2004 Cookie became the first little bear to go on a second big bead tour -- we had finally run though all the original 23 little bears for trips.  That's a lot of travel, but Cookie's thankful that she finally gets to travel again.  Luckily this isn't to the same place in San Francisco as Tobler and Godiva's trips!
 

Tootsie
Date of Birth:  Sept. 11, 1998
Sex:  Female
Toes or big feet:  Toes -- little tiny ones for a little tiny bear
Favorite Food: Tootsie Pops & Tootsie Rolls
Favorite Drink:  Not Latte!  Blecch!
Favorite thing:  Kisses.  Lots of kisses
Big Bed Tour: New  Orleans (Oct. 1999); Vancouver Nov/04
Time as youngest bear:  97 days
Nickname(s):  Kissy Bear, Itty Bitty Bear, Blind girl
Story:  Tootsie had everything, and then it all came crashing down.  Addicted to kisses, she's been unable to break the habit.  Morning, noon and night she needs her fix.  Luckily nobody minds kissing this little sweetie -- she has a charming disposition and is the itty-bittiest of all the bears, even after the addition of 22 siblings.. There has been some speculation that Cookie got all the stuffing that Tootsie's missing.  Doesn't really matter as they are both perfect as they are.  She is known as blind girl not because of "stop that or you'll go blind" but because she always seems to have her fur in her eyes.
 

Cocoa
Date of Birth:  Dec. 17, 1998
Sex:  Female
Toes or big feet:  Big feet
Favorite Food:  Anything Chocolate
Favorite Drink:  Hot Cocoa, esp. with mint Schnapps
Favorite thing:  Having a family
Big Bed Tour: Austin / Fredricksburg (March 2000); San Francisco & Mendocino 11/05
Time as youngest bear:  54 days
Nickname(s):  Peek-a-Bear, Ragamuffin Bear
Story:  Cocoa never had everything, she had to struggle for most of her life.  This little ragamuffin had it tough before making it to our home.  Living on the streets, she's regaled her siblings with her stories of flea markets and baby drool.  It was a hard life, but then someone rescued her and we found her.  She has settled in nicely and likes to play peek-a-boo with Joe and Lynda.  She's the only bear who's experienced the washer and dryer in our little family -- it was harrowing, but she didn't mind getting rid of the smell of her previous life so she could start new with us.  She has a television addiction of her own: The Real World on MTV, although she admits she's gone off it lately.  Her favorite Real World was the San Francisco cast.
 

Truffle
Date of Birth: Feb. 9, 1999
Sex:  Male -- our first little boy bear, although he's quite wide...
Toes or big feet:  Big feet
Favorite Food:  Roger's Chocolates Cappucino Truffles
Favorite Drink:  Nothing that he's found yet
Favorite thing:  The ceiling fan cooling him laying on the bed all day
Big Bed Tour:  San Francisco (Jan. 2000), and BC (Aug/Sept 2001); San Francisco & Mendocino 11/05
Time as youngest bear:  197 days
Nickname(s):  Truffle-uphagus, Pancake Bear, Bat Bear
Story:  Truffle is the flattest of all our bears, hence the name Pancake Bear.  He's very affectionate, and likes to emulate Fudgie as little brothers often do.  This makes for quite a bit of attitude in someone so little, but he's not that Fudgie-like -- he doesn't like latte even though he tries.  He has a fondness for Basketball(maybe because he wishes he were bigger) and watches with Joe.  He roots for the San Antonio Spurs and was giddy for days when they won the championship. Go Spurs!   He was very distressed when Grizzlies moved.  He was the only small boy bear until Mocha arrived on the scene.  He loves wrestling with Mocha -- they are always tumbling around and risking the wrath of Cookie (who will slay them if they don't behave!).  He got to go on a second big bed tour after he and Godiva complained that sleeping on a sofa in San Francisco didn't really qualify as a big bedtour!  On this trip he discovered his new favorite treat: Roger's Chocolates Cappucino Truffles!  Mmmmmmmm.  Ask him about Bath bombs sometime....
 

Mocha
Date of Birth:  Aug. 25, 1999
Sex:  Male
Toes or big feet:  Toes
Favorite Food:  Coffee Caramilk Bar
Favorite Drink:  Cafe Mocha -- mmmmm!
Favorite thing:  His brother Truffle & sheriff's badge
Big Bed Tour: Newfoundland (July 2000); Vancouver July/06
Time as youngest bear:  28 days
Nickname(s):  Evil Little Hypno-bear, Ranger Bear, Crazy Bear
Story:  Mocha had everything and then it all came crashing down.  Newly added to the family, he discovered Walker, Texas Ranger and decided that he'd like to be a ranger too.  Then he was told that they don't accept bears and even if they did he'd have to be a DPS trooper for years first.  Poor little guy was crushed (plus we never watch the show!).  However he can still pretend and so he does.  Joe brought him a toy Sheriff's badge from New Iberia (on our New Orleans trip) and it's his prized  possession.  He now loves all cop shows, but his latest favorite shows involve robots -- Battlebots, and  Robot Wars.  He needs to be reminded that he's not a battlebot!  Mocha also decided  that he must be able to hypnotize Joe when Joe fell asleep with him on the couch one evening. He liked having Joe all to himself so much that now he tries to hypnotize him all the time (sometimes for chocolate).  He also keeps offering his tummy for sniffing, but it's no fun if you want to it to be sniffed!
 

Cupcake
Date of Birth:  Sept. 22, 1999
Sex:  Female
Toes or big feet:  Toes
Favorite Food:  Pizza!!!  And chocolate -- cupcakes!
Favorite Drink:  Latte Foam (is that a drink??)
Favorite thing:  Standing on her head
Big Bed Tour: Austin / Fredricksburg (Mar. 2000); Newfoundland - Ottawa Sept/06
Time as youngest bear:  a mere 7 days!
Nickname(s):Upsie-downsie Bear, Foam Licker
Story:  Cupcake had everything and then it all came crashing down.  She got to join a big expanding bear family.  She got to be the youngest bear (a coveted position) in that family.  She only got to be the youngest for a week!  Not fair!  Cupcake likes to share lattes with Brownie, as long as he doesn't mind her licking up all the foam!  She especially likes it when the foam is flavored with sprinkles of Chocolate or vanilla (thank you Mindy and Rose!).  She often looks at the world from a different perspective -- upside down.  And she's discovered that everyone thinks it's very cute, so now she's found a way to get the attention she so loves.  Maybe it's that beauty mark under her chin she's showing off.  Turn on the spotlight, Cupcake has arrived! Lately she's been counseling Pudding and Chocolate on how short the time as youngest bear can be and they shouldn't worry about short times as youngest -- everybody gets lots of love here!
 

Smartie
Date of Birth:  Sept. 29, 1999
Sex:  Female
Toes or big feet:  Big feet
Favorite Food: Smarties! and Peanut Butter
Favorite Drink:  Hasn't found one yet
Favorite thing:  Sharing breakfast with Lynda
Big Bed Tour: Newfoundland (July. 2000); Victoria & Vancouver Mar/06
Time as youngest bear:  231 days
Nickname(s):  Smirky-bear, Smirkalicious.
Story:  Smartie had everything, including a new family and an old smoky smell.  Smartie came to us with a slight smoky smell which gave everyone the opportunity to tease her by sniffing her tummy.  She is still unimpressed with our behavior and tells everyone "don't sniff my tummy!!!" (Joe's still at it and declares that her tummy must be the most delightful smelling thing is the world, if only he could sniff it...).  She'll catch on soon that it's no fun to tease her if she doesn't make a fuss.  Even though her smell is gone now, she still won't consent to the sniffing.  She's discovered that she's a morning bear too (as is Cookie) and joins Lynda for peanut butter and apples, but wonders why I don't put my peanut butter on chocolate!  She was totally thrilled with Purity Peanut Butter Kisses, a Newfoundland treat that came in a parcel from Grandma Lyn and says that Canadian treats are better than American ones, especially Smarties (which in Canada are like a sweeter M&Ms but in the states are a chalky candy, like a lame version of Sweethearts).  Smarties even have a Song!
 

Toffee
Date of Birth:  May 17, 2000
Sex:  Female
Toes or big feet:  Toes
Favorite Food:  MacIntosh's Toffee
Favorite Drink:  Coffee slushes (like Frappucino)
Favorite thing:  Playing on the computer
Big Bed Tour:  Vancouver & Sechelt (Aug. 2000); Newfoundland - Ottawa Sept/06
Time as youngest bear:  85 days
Nickname(s):  Techno-Bear, Cyber-bear, little miss bulgy toes.
Story:Toffee had it all -- and then she came to a family where she looks so much like her sister Cupcake that we have to check her toes to figure out who she is!  Poor girl -- her left paw has bulgier toes than the right -- that's how we tell.  This does not please her in the slightest, but she loves being part of a big family.  Mostly we can tell her now because she's always hacking around on the computer -- she likes the new one we got in 2000, "much better" she said at the time.  She's very happy that we have a house now and an entire room dedicated to the computer.  Her only problem was living with dial-up for a few months when we couldn't get DSL at the house.  But then we got cable and she moves around the internet at blazing speed.  "Now if only they'd get me a laptop" she laments.  Maybe someday, Toffee.  In July of 2004 Miss Toffie (geekbear) got a new computer.  It's officially called "Toffee's new Dell Toy" and she likes having a computer not on the verge of death.  She would have preferred a newer faster one than what we bought, but since she wasn't paying for it, she got very little say.  Still no laptop for Toffee though...
 

Hershey
Date of Birth:  August 10, 2000
Sex:  Male
Toes or big feet:  Toes
Favorite Food:  Hershey Bars and Ice cream for dinner.
Favorite Drink: None yet
Favorite thing:  Wrestling with his little brothers
Big Bed Tour:  Newfoundland (Oct. 2000), Vancouver 01/07
Time as youngest bear:  29 days
Nickname(s):  Me bear, Beary bear (because of his especially beary nose).
Story:  Hershey had everything and then it all came tumbling down.  He came to a new home in Houston, expecting to find a mommy and daddy who loved him and there was no mommy!  (Lynda was in Vancouver with Toffee at the time.)  Plus there were all these other bears!  He kinda wanted to be the center of attention, but it was not to be.  He was also disappointed to find that the house was not constantly stocked with Hershey Bars!  How would he survive?  Well he soon found out that Mommy and Daddy do have a soft spot for all things chocolate, so there's usually enough to go around.  Lately he's taken to identifying himself as "me" which creates some confusion when he is asked which bear he is.  Unfortunately he's the only one who says that so it's getting to be that "me" and "Hershey" are considered to be synonymous -- this may create some confusion down the line when someone else takes to using me as an answer to "Which bear are you?".
 

Cadbury
Date of Birth: Sept. 8, 2000
Sex: Female
Toes or big feet: Toes
Favorite Food: Cadbury Dairymilk or Fruit and Nut Bars
Favorite Drink: Anything with liquor
Favorite thing: Chair dancing to Barenaked Ladies!
Big Bed Tour: Vancouver (Feb. 2001)
Time as youngest bear: 20 days
Nickname(s):  Caddy-beary, Liquor-bear
Story:  Cadbury had it all and then it all came tumbling down.  She came to her new home and found it already populated with many bears.  She worried that we wouldn't love her as much at the others (silly bear!).  She was a little shy at first, but soon Mommy started playing music and she found she was a chair-dancing kind of bear!  Now all bears like to dance, but she loved to move to the sound of the Barenaked Ladies.  She desperately wanted to go to their concert -- what a blow to find out that bears aren't welcome at people events! (Not big scary grizzlies in any event!)  Still, we have lots of CD's here so she can listen and dance all day long.  Daddy introduced her to alcoholic beverages and she sure liked them -- we have to keep an eye on her if she's around when we're having a drink!
 

Chip
Date of Birth: Sept. 28, 2000
Sex: Male
Toes or big feet:  No toes, big feet
Favorite Food: Chocolate chips on anything (reasonable -- not on brussel sprouts!)
Favorite Drink: Chocolate shakes
Favorite thing: Cardinals -- they call his name: "chip!"
Big Bed Tour: New Jersey at Sarah & Tim's (April 2001)
Time as youngest bear:  only 13 days!
Nickname(s):  Smoky bear, disco bear
Story:  Chip had a tag in his ear, a song in his heart and a desire to go to work.  He came to live at our home -- a little smoky smelling from his last home, but otherwise healthy and happy.  Glad to have the tag removed (ouch!) he quickly adjusted to life in Houston in a family of rapidly increasing size.  He is frequently asked if his tummy can be sniffed (it seems to be a thing with smoky bears) but like Smartie, isn't keen on it and has adopted her response of "don't sniff my tummy!!!"  Chip learned quickly that if you offer your tummy (as Mocha does) or just don't deny Daddy tummy sniffing time, he quickly loses interest.  Chip's tummy remains safe from Joe's nose.  He heard from Fudgie that Daddy's work is really boring (nobody hugs you, nobody takes pictures of you), so came to work with Lynda on National Bring Your Teddy Bear to Work Day, Oct. 11, where he was fussed over and even photographed!  He discovered cats on his trip to New Jersey with Lynda -- Sarah has 5 fluffies and he even had his picture taken with one who adopted him.

Dove
Date of Birth: October 11, 2000
Sex:  Female -- our first big girl!
Toes or big feet:  Toes
Favorite Food: Dove Promises......mmmmmm!
Favorite Drink:  Now that latte stuff is mighty fine!
Favorite thing:  Her new family and making the sick or injured better.
Big Bed Tour: Vegas Baby tour of the American Southwest (July 2002)
Time as youngest bear:  51 days
Nickname(s):  Lovey-Dovey, The Nursie Bear
Story:  Dove had the world at her feet and then it all came crashing down.  Somewhere, sometime she was a loved bear -- but like Cocoa, something happened and she ended up for sale on Ebay.  Sad for her, but lucky for us, she was not in "mint condition" as she had been loved and had a 'birthmark" (small stain) on the top of her head which has since disappeared.  Luckily nobody wrote on her hiney (her tag that is), but she was quite fragrant, in a marinated in potpourri sort of way and took the title of 'stinky bear' from Fudgie for a short while. She has definitely found her niche in our family -- when she showed a particular aptitude for nursing the sick.  Whenever one of us has a cold or the flu or a sore muscle, Dovie the Nursie bear is there to make it all better.  She is happy to be in a place where there's lots of love and cuddles and we are grateful for her ministrations.  How could you not feel better with cuddles from this one?
 

Godiva
Date of Birth: December 1, 2000
Sex:  Female
Toes or big feet: Toes
Favorite Food:  Godiva chocolates -- she's got an expensive chocolate habit!
Favorite Drink:  None yet!
Favorite thing:  Flowers of all kinds but especially roses from the garden
Big Bed Tour:  San Francisco (Apr. 2001) & BC (Aug/Sept 2001)
Time as youngest bear:  28 days
Nickname(s): Flower-girl, Minnie Mouse Bear
Story: Godiva came to us at the start of advent in the year 2000.  She previously had all she could wish for, a wonderfully sumptuous name and then she was thrown in with a motley collection of bears.  She met bearies who had known the kind of hard life she had never imagined with her sheltered upbringing.  Cocoa soon set her straight on how lucky she is to have found a home and have her ear tag extracted.  She's quite happy now that she knows she's in a loving family with so many siblings who adore her as she would want.  But the reference to the size of her ears (Minnie Mouse Bear) is a little annoying...  She let us know how much she loves flowers when Joe gave some to Lynda when she returned from on of the Vancouver trips.  She really loves it when we bring in roses from our own garden.  She can't believe the almost never-ending supply of them out there!  She's one of the lucky bears who has had two big bed tours -- but this only happens when the original tour is deemed too lame to be counted.  Sorry Godiva (and Truffle).
 

Caramel
Date of Birth: December 29, 2000
Sex:  Male
Toes or big feet:  Big feet
Favorite Food:   Rolo -- chocolate covered caramel -- what could be better
Favorite Drink:  That Caramel Frappucino thing
Favorite thing:  Supervising Baking activities
Big Bed Tour:  Halifax (Aug. 2002)
Time as youngest bear:  21 days
Nickname(s):  They call him Caramel-lo (sung to the tune of mellow yellow)
Story: Caramel had everything then it all came crashing down -- he came to this weird family of 15 other bears and was told right off the bat that it was likely that he wouldn't be the youngest bear, a coveted position, for long as Lynda and Joe keep adding pudgies to the family.  That and Lynda kept singing that annoying Mellow Yellow tune ("they call him Cara - mellow") to him!  Silly boy, this is a silly place!  He enjoyed watching Cricket (limited overs) with daddy while he was off for the holidays.  Imagine his disappointment when he discovered that Joe actually had to leave the house and go to work 5 days a week and he couldn't just watch Cricket and sniff lattes and eat chocolate all day long!  Real life is such a drag!  Caramel continues to be something of a mystery bear -- he gave up cricket when Crunchy took an interest in it -- perhaps it's that mellow personality.  In December 2003 he showed his interest in baking -- in a supervisory position of course.
 

Praline
Date of Birth:  January 19, 2001
Sex: Female
Toes or big feet: Big feet
Favorite Food:   Texas Chewy Pralines -- covered in chocolate, of course!
Favorite Drink:  None yet
Favorite thing:  Cuddles.
Big Bed Tour:  Vancouver and Sunshine Coast, March 2003.
Time as youngest bear:  29 days
Nickname(s):Pretty bear, lefty
Story: Praline came to us at the beginning of a new year on a cool rainy day.  We were tired when we got home and thought about not picking up the mail, but are glad we did that day.  Interestingly she had one paw that seemed well loved, although the rest of her is like new.  This makes us wonder what her life was like before we met her.  She hasn't been to forthcoming so far, I think she's making sure that she can trust us and that we won't try to sell her on Ebay some day in the future.  The other bears have been very reassuring, and helped her with her trust issues.  She's fully settled in with Team 4 and even though she hasn't shared with us what happened she seems to be at peace with it.  Now that she's getting so much loving and cuddles, the rest of her is catching up to that paw!
 

Purdy
Date of Birth:  February 17, 2001
Sex:  Female
Toes or big feet: Toes!
Favorite Food:   Ice Cream and any Purdy's Chocolates, but especially Hedgehogs!
Favorite Drink:  Latte!  Sweetened or not, she doesn't care
Favorite thing:  Long weekends!
Big Bed Tour: Vegas Baby tour of the American Southwest (July 2002)
Time as youngest bear: 12 days
Nickname(s): Grand Duchess Fluffy, Belly button bear, the Princess Purdy.
Story: Purdy came to us just after I returned home from a Feb. 2000 visit to Vancouver to see my parents.  She was a surprise to me as I didn't know Joe had found her on Ebay.  She was brand new and originally from England.  We quickly clipped the tag out of her ear and she bounded fluffily onto the bed with me and all the other bears. She settled in with her siblings quickly and enjoys her weekend lattes (yum!) and sleep ins.  She must have had a somewhat pampered existence before she came to us, laying in bed all day eating bonbons and drinking latte...  She seems to be our only bear with a belly button, which we have been tickling -- hee, hee!  Although some of her fluffiness has been reduced by hugging (and the rigors of a big bed tour) she will ever be the Grand Dutchess of Fluff.  Now her royal highness, Princess Purdy is a stern monarch and something of a tyrant if you are a Tickle-me-Elmo.  Nothing brings her greater satisfaction then tickling Elmo and then shutting him in a bedside table drawer, listening to him giggle as his eyeballs knock on the inside of the drawer!
 

Crunchy
Date of Birth:  March 1, 2001
Sex:  Male
Toes or big feet: Big feet
Favorite Food:  Crunchy Bars, naturally.  Only he can't get them here!
Favorite Drink:  Vancouver, Sunshine Coast and Victoria (June 2003)
Favorite thing:  Watching Cricket with Daddy
Big Bed Tour:  None yet
Time as youngest bear: 70 days.
Nickname(s): none yet
Story: Crunchy had the world at his feet, then suffered a mysterious bear nose fuzz injury.  His poor nose has been abused at some time, and he won't tell us about it yet.  His arrival has rounded out team 3 to five bears.  The little ones sleep in the bed in teams, since we can't fit everyone on the bed all at once -- unless Mommy is traveling.  Crunchy was amazed when he entered the bedroom for the first time and saw 18 other bears, big and small!  He thinks this is a pretty cool place and has been enjoying Cricket on tv with Daddy ever since we got Fox Sports World.He didn't realize he's usurped Caramel's sport, but since Caramel didn't seem to mind...
 

Nougat
Date of Birth:  May 10, 2001
Sex:  Male
Toes or big feet: Toes
Favorite Food: Chewy Chocolate covered Nougat
Favorite Drink: None yet.
Favorite thing: Dancing to his song
Big Bed Tour: Vancouver, Sunshine Coast and Victoria (June 2003)
Time as youngest bear: 127 days
Nickname(s):Noogie, Dancin' Bear
Story:Noogie has a serious need to be center stage.  He has his very own song (sung to the tune of Abba's Money): "Noogie, Noogie, Noogie:  Likes to Boogie, He's a dancing Bear  / Noogie, Noogie, Noogie:  He ain't oogie, He dances everywhere"  Okay, it's not really amazing poetry, but give him a break -- he's still a young bear.  He loves his home and all his brothers and sisters.  His appearance gave him some trouble before he came to the House of may bears -- you can't see it in his picture, but he's got a bit of a sloping forehead and he's a little pigeon toed.  He was relieved to find out that Mocha is considered the "odd" bear around here!  He discovered the delicious taste of watermelon.  Luckily Joe loves it too and doesn't mind sharing.  Now if only he could figure out how to eat it without getting it all over himself!
 

Reese
Date of Birth:  Sept. 14, 2001
Sex:  Male
Toes or big feet: Toes
Favorite Food: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups -- Yum!
Favorite Drink: None yet.
Favorite thing: Howlin' at the moon!
Big Bed Tour: Vancouver, (Aug. - September 2003)
Time as youngest bear: 31 days
Nickname(s):Werebear, Bearwolf, disheveled bear.
Story:   Reese had a great life, then it all came tumbling down.  He was an ordinary bear, but with a secret.  He's a werewolf bear too.  Luckily for him, he poses no threat to the household, or Cookie would have to 'slay' him.  But he passes the Cookie test and he's okay, except for a little howling.  He earned the nickname Disheveled Bear because his fur is always messy looking (although he did run a brush through it for this photo, so you don't really get the effect here).  Lately he's taken to howling after kisses, we're not sure why.
 

Chocolate
Date of Birth:  October 15, 2001
Sex: Male
Toes or big feet: Toes
Favorite Food: Chocolate anything but especially Joe's mom's Chocolate Pie
Favorite Drink: None yet.
Favorite thing: His twin sister, Pudding
Big Bed Tour: Vancouver & Cultus Lake BC  (Nov. 2003).
Time as youngest bear: 2 days shared with his sister
Nickname(s): Well, Joe has been known to call him "Chunk"
Story: Chocolate and Pudding came together from the same seller on Ebay and were thus christened as twins (fraternal).  They do look quite a bit alike too -- they both have little pug noses.  They've always had each other, so have known how to share and take care of each other.  Although joining such a huge family was a bit of a shock, they've both adjusted well.  Chocolate says it's great to have brothers around now.  Also, he wishes to say that he's looking forward to Dancing Grandma coming down to visit so he can taste this Chocolate Pie he's heard of.  He hasn't had it yet, but he's sure it'll be his favorite food.
 

Pudding
Date of Birth: October 15, 2001
Sex: Female
Toes or big feet: Toes
Favorite Food: Chocolate Jell-O Pudding.
Favorite Drink: None yet.
Favorite thing: Being a twin!
Big Bed Tour: Vancouver & Cultus Lake BC (Nov. 2003).
Time as youngest bear: 2 days shared with her brother
Nickname(s): Lil' Puddin', pug bear.
Story: Our little Puddin' bear came to us with her twin brother Chocolate.  She has the cutest little 'pug' nose there is and hence the nickname "pug bear".  She thought had it all and now she can't believe how much more there is.  Chocolate and Pudding have always known sharing and the love of a sibling, now it's just multiplied by many bears.  She cringes a little when Mommy calls her "Puddin" in that annoying way, but she is totally secure in the knowledge that she's loved here.  The little twins discovered in November that they were "Super-Twins!!".  From the balcony of the interior staircase, the twins found that they could fly down to either Joe or Lynda who would catch them.  Presto, they were the flying Super Twins!  Needless to say, on every trip upstairs for anything at all, they wanted to fly!
 

Ganache
Date of Birth:  October 17, 2001
Sex: Female.
Toes or big feet: Big Feet.
Favorite Food: Rich chocolate desserts made with chocolate ganache.
Favorite Drink: None yet.
Favorite thing: Squishy hugs from Mommy and Daddy
Big Bed Tour: Vancouver 03/04.
Time as youngest bear: 10 Days
Nickname(s): Little Squishy Bear, Gana-chee beary
Story:Ganache had the world at her feet (without toes) and then she came to hot humid Houston to live.  Do you have any idea what that's like for a fuzzy little bear?  Luckily we have air-conditioning and she doesn't have to venture out much.  And with such a cuddly and lovable personality, Ganache gets lots of those hugs she loves. She too came to us with a mystery nose-fuzz injury and like Crunchy hasn't been forthcoming about it.  Hers is rather more severe than Crunchie's but in time all the fuzz gets kissed off anyway, so what does it really matter?  Okay, so Houston ain't so bad...
 

Nestle
Date of Birth:  October 27, 2001
Sex:  Male
Toes or big feet: Toes
Favorite Food: Nestle Treasures?  Turtles? Aero -- it's so hard to choose only one!
Favorite Drink: Nestle Quick (it's so rich & thick and chocolick)
Favorite thing: Well, that jaunty red bow, what else?
Big Bed Tour: London & Paris 06/04.
Time as youngest bear: 139 days
Nickname(s): The Handy Bear
Story: Nestle came to us with that beautiful red bow.  And he's refused to take it off since!  He's not the first of our bears to arrive with a bow, but he took one look around and decided that he wanted to stand out, so the bow stays.  It's okay, Nestle we'd love you just as much even without it.  He was ecstatic to hear that he was to be named Nestle (thank you Nicole!) because he's named for the company that makes so many of the bears' favorite treats: Toffee's MacIntosh's Toffee, Smartie's Smarties, and Caramel's Rolos.  He figures that this'll get him a cut of their candy haul whenever they get some.  Plus he's staked out the Nestle Treasures -- who can resist those ones with the toasted coconut?  But none of that Lean Cuisine stuff that Mommy likes.  Yuk.  One thing that Nestle has excelled at is helping Daddy with tasks around the new house.  He's a great supervisor (as all bears are) but won't get his paws dirty if at all possible.  Wouldn't want to get that bow dirty!
 

Mousse
Date of Birth:  March 15, 2002
Sex:  Male
Toes or big feet: Toes
Favorite Food: Chocolate Mousse Cake
Favorite Drink: None yet.
Favorite thing: Being able to say his name, and Pluffies!
Big Bed Tour: None yet.
Time as youngest bear: 242 days
Nickname(s): Moo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-se!
Story:You can imagine how astonished we were when we got this big fellow. First there was the box.  Now a few of our bears have arrived in boxes that were a little flat for them, but nothing compares to his experience.  Poor baby.  Then there was his amazing fluffitude.  He was almost as fluffy as the Grand Duchess of Fluff, Purdy.  We restrained ourselves from naming him the fluffy Prince -- we didn't want to set up a rivalry.  Mousse is incredibly boistrous and silly.  Once he figured out how to say his name (with paws up by his head as if they were antlers -- we haven't had the heart to tell him he's not that kind of Moose!) he got a rhyme (almost as good as a song):  "It's Mousse!  He's Loose!  In the Hoose!"  He's the first bear to come to us after we moved into our house, so he's known no other home and that suits him fine.  He continues to play in the "hoose" and loves every second of it.  Mousse discovered Pluffies when Lynda got a couple of them for friends -- Sandra who was expecting a baby at the time and Luisa.  Well we had to go find some more of the cuties because Mousse wouldn't give one up.  His pair has grown from Toulouse and Chartreuse to four with the addition of Zeus (the first pluffy to go on a big bed tour) and most recently: Jesus (pronounced in the spanish - "Hay-soos").  Check out the little pluffy lover!

Mirage
Date of Birth:  November 12, 2002
Sex:  Female
Toes or big feet: Toes
Favorite Food: Mirage bars of course!
Favorite Drink: None yet.
Favorite thing: Having a beauty mark on her toe just like Joe.
Big Bed Tour: None yet.
Time as youngest bear: 120 days
Nickname(s): None yet.
Story:You can't imagine how fun it is to be a mirage!  This fluffy girl came to us and found out quickly that she had the ablity to hide in plain sight.  We couldn't see her -- she was a mirage!  Sometimes this backfires on her because she'll appear as a giant purple with pink polka dots elephant or bunny or some other animal. Then we see her!  Makes it hard to sneak into the pantry and grab some chocolate.  Mirage had a quiet life until she was thrown into the chaos that is a hug of 28 bears.  But she quickly bonded with the girly bearies and loves having a friendship with Cupcake (who also has a beauty mark) and pawing through Lynda's jewelry.  Miss Mirage does like the sparkly things...

Tobler
Date of Birth:  March 13, 2003
Sex:  Male
Toes or big feet: Toes, rather large ones at that!
Favorite Food: OHMYGOD those Toblerone bars!!!!
Favorite Drink: Is a blizzard with toblerone a drink?  Do they even make one?
Favorite thing: Exploring
Big Bed Tour: None yet.
Time as youngest bear: 279 days (second longest -- even longer than Brownie)
Nickname(s): Tobleroni, the bear with great big feet, Inquisitive Bear
Story:Young Mr. Tobler arrived in a very large box (unlike his brother Mousse) labelled 'cookies'.  Needless to say, if there were any cookies in the box they were long gone before he got here.  He came to us while Lynda was in Vancouver visiting her friend Rose before Rose moves to England (home of many famous teddies and teddy lovers).  He was sorry that he couldn't meet Lynda right away, but she loved him as soon as she saw him.  He has since shown his inquisitive side -- he's been out exploring the garden and likes to watch sit on the patio furniture outside in the sun.  The heat doesn't seem to bother him as much as the other bears -- maybe because he lived in central Texas before he came to us.  It's a good thing he can't reach the door handles or he'd be wandering all over the neighbourhood!  He's loving his new song (sung to the tune of Rice-A-Roni): "Tob-ler-Oni, the bear who can't be beat!  Tob-ler-Oni, the bear with great big feet!"

Snickers
Date of Birth:  Dec. 16, 2003.
Sex:  Male.
Toes or big feet: Toes.
Favorite Food: Well what do you think?  Snickers bars, of course
Favorite Drink: None yet.
Favorite thing: Meeting all those brothers and sisters!
Big Bed Tour: Vancouver 09/04.
Time as youngest bear: 14 days.
Nickname(s):Snicker-doodle.
Story:  Snickers came to us in the middle of the Christmas season.  He came in a padded envelope addressed to Joe.  Since it was Christmas, Lynda didn't open a package addressed to Joe and instead drove to ABS to pick up Joe.  When we got home (almost an hour after Lynda got the mail), Joe thought about what might be coming in the mail and then realized that that puffy squishy envelope must be holding our newest bearie, Snickers.  Oh, no!  Poor little guy -- luckily bears don't come to life until they're loved, so he didn't know and didn't feel anything about his journey to our house.  We think he might be the first bear to arrive this way -- but at least it wasn't a too-small box!  Since arriving, he's experienced the excitement of Christmas, the tree, the chocolate and eaten his namesake chocolate.  Isn't life grand???
 

Glossette
Date of Birth:  Jan 30, 2004.
Sex:  Female.
Toes or big feet: Big feet.
Favorite Food: Glossette Peanuts, but those raisins are pretty good too.
Favorite Drink: None yet.
Favorite thing: Balloons!
Big Bed Tour: Vancouver 09/04.
Time as youngest bear: 61 days
Nickname(s): None yet..
Story:  Little Miss Glossette came to us just after Lynda's birthday and shortly before Valentine's Day.  She'd heard of these balloon things from the other bearies -- whom she met a room at a time because 29 others is so overwhelming!!!  Then came Valentine's Day -- and the red heart shaped balloons that have been her pride and joy for over a week now.  Those mylar balloons really hold up.  As she gets to know us better and we get to know her, we'll tell you more.

Peanut
Date of Birth:  March 31, 2004.
Sex:  Female.
Toes or big feet: Toes!
Favorite Food: Hmmm... peanut butter and glosette peanuts are taken...  M&M Peanuts!
Favorite Drink: None yet.
Favorite thing: Her 'song': Peanut... Peanut Butter! -- JELLY!
Big Bed Tour: None yet.
Time as youngest bear: 274 days (tied with Brownie on Dec 30) and counting...
Nickname(s): How can you nickname such a cute name?!
Story:  Miss Peanut came to us while Lynda was still in Vancouver on one of her trips up there to help out her mom.  She was astonished at the size of the family that met her when she came in!  Thirty other bears, how could she gat any loving with all those bears in line in front of her?  She was very worried, but soon discovered that there was more than enough to go around.  She loves big bed nights on Lynda & Joe's bed with Tobler.  And having their own room -- only needing to share when there are guests in town (a rare occurance) is very cool.  She loves her song -- something Lynda remembered from camp as a kid.  Apparently there are more words to the song than just the chorus, but Lynda doesn't remember the tune!  Her most traumatic moment was when she discovered that she was suffering from toe threadus-unravellus.  Fortunately Mirage had been diagnosed and cured of the same thing and was able to talk her though it.  Lynda was able to sew up the thread, fixing the toes on her left foot.
 
 

 

Bears also like to play with Joe--
this is too many to nap with...
 

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