Barbara Isenberg, founder and President of North American Bear Company.

North American Bear Company started as a creative project and business enterprise of then new mother, Barbara Isenberg. While living in New York in the mid-1970's, Barbara was unable to find her small son a toy bear that met her own childhood ideal. Her desire to find a teddy bear with the nostalgic charm of antique toys and contemporary whimsy prompted her to create unique, high quality plush bears that would appeal to both children and adults alike. Barbara enlisted the help of her fashion designer friend, Odl Bauer, to make a bear out of an old sweatshirt that would be cuddly, soft and different from anything else on the market. That bear evolved into Albert the Running Bear(R), a classic bear in a colorful running suit that became a commercial success at the height of interest in jogging.

In 1978, after perfecting a variety of sample bears, assembling a sales force and locating a small New York factory to produce bears, Barbara teamed up with her brother in Chicago, Paul Levy, to form the North American Bear Co., Inc. (or NABCO). A year after the Running Bear was produced, a line of V.I.Bs(R) (Very Important Bears) was introduced. These costumed, brightly colored velour bears with pun names like William Shakesbear(R) and Scarlett O'Beara(R) were soon followed by the VanderBear Family(R) in 1983 and Muffy VanderBear(R) in 1984. With international distribution in Europe and Asia, today's NABCO designs encompass a full range of innovative, award-winning classic bears, gifts, baby soft toys and collectible plush including Muffy(R) Couture, a fully-jointed bear with fashionable outfits in boxed limited editions.

Noted for high quality plush toys that often combine unusual colors, fabrics, patterns and textures, North American Bear Co., Inc. has entertained children, kid-at-heart adults and serious bear collectors for nearly three decades. Much of the company's lasting appeal can be attributed to its dedication to producing innovative designs which function on two levels - humor for the adult and play value for the child. Each toy is carefully created from the best materials and with safety in mind.

Since its founding in 1978, NABCO has been a trendsetter and leading manufacturer in the growing infant/toddler and gift markets as well as the ever-changing collectibles industry. Its fresh and often daring designs have garnered the praise of national media and industry professionals through the years with many notable achievements:

• NABCO was one of the first companies to build a stuffed toy gift business for adults as well as children with the subtle humor of Albert the Running Bear(R) and the pun names of the V.I.Bs(R) (Very Important Bears). It was also among the first companies to work in distressed materials, creating new bears that looked "loved", like Ruggles and Oatmeal. It was also among the earliest companies to "retire" products that subsequently became collectibles.
• With the VanderBear Family(R) and Muffy VanderBear(R) collections, NABCO unintentionally tapped into the collectible markets of the US and Japan. Today, Muffy(R) Couture editions capture the hearts of avid bear collectors everywhere.
• NABCO maintains its leading edge in infant and gift markets by continually challenging the classic styles and integrating contemporary trends, colors and fabrics for fresh, entirely unique and completely safe plush toys. Its most popular baby and gift products like the machine washable Flatsos, Sleepyheads and Goody Bags are now familiar icons to many parents and favorites among children.

Many of NABCO's toys and accessories have received prestigious awards from national toy experts including Child Magazine, National Parenting Center, Family Fun Magazine, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Dr. Toy, and Teddy Bear Review's Golden Teddy among others. In addition, many consumer and parenting publications like In Style, Parents, Baby Talk, American Baby, Parenting, People, New York Times, Working Mother, Shape's Fit Pregnancy, Country Living and Chicago Tribune have endorsed NABCO products on their editorial pages.

Various local and national TV stations (ABC News, NBC News, Today Show, Rosie O'Donnell Show, Oprah) and many Hollywood movies and TV shows have featured NABCO toys. Through continued charitable contributions, NABCO characters share their soft hearts by raising money as well as awareness for a variety of worthy causes.

Throughout the company's growth, it has been guided by Barbara Isenberg's beliefs that children are never too young for good toy designs and adults always appreciate high quality, humorous plush products. Barbara continues as President of NABCO and runs the New York Studio in the heart of Manhattan's toy district where she and the closely-knit design and production team develop each season's rich and varied collections.

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