The 1950s bear puppet by Chad Valley featured in the well-loved BBC children’s TV show Andy Pandy.
Andy, a marionette, lived in a picnic basket with Teddy and Looby Loo, a rag doll. The first episode aired in 1950. A new series was made in the 1970s and again in 2001-02.
Of the three known Teddy puppets from the series, this is the only version not weighted (weights were used to help puppeteers operate them) and is therefore thought to be the earliest of the trio.
The HMS sailor hat and rucksack were probably used in the episode Boats, which aired on September 26, 1950.
It comes in an old card box inscribed in pencil ANDY PANDY TEDDY and addressed to a Miss Vida F Baxter in Aberdeen, Scotland.
It carries an estimate of £3000-5000 at the May 22 C&T sale.
To refresh your memory of Andy Pandy here is the end theme of the show from the 1950s via YouTube:
