Another Chubby Tubby in Need of TLC!!

    I bidded and won this poor 50s Rushton Chubby Tubby Bear recently! I knew the moment I saw him who and what he was!! Buddy Bearkins!! He is an earlier version of the famous Chubby Tubby. Mary Rushton must have started off with making him before Wight revamped and advertised the Chubby Tubbies. No one really knows for sure, but hopefully one day we will find the answer...

    Poor Buddy was missing his little brother. But you could tell from his dirty left arm that the child who owned him before must have loved the little bear a lot and now Buddy's arm is just a dirty mess. He was definitely a plush in need of a lot of help. So as soon as he arrived, I began to remove his stuffing and sew at least one hole I found. I washed him 3 times in hopes of getting rid of the dark left arm. Ad below from a Sears Christmas Catalog.

     Sadly, it didn't even turn a gold color. So I did not want to cause any further damage to the fur on that arm and left it alone. After he dried, I restuffed him with his original cotton batting. I refluffed it and put it back in. The stuffing was in great condition and just needed refluffing. I did remove some of the parts that was on the left arm as it was dingy and brown.

    After restuffing him. I worked on his face and cleaned off the grime that was on the rubber. Next, I touched up his face paint. Which didn't need too much, except for his nose and eyes. He was slowly becoming just as he should have, and I was very happy with the results. Instead of a pink satin straps for his jumper, I gave him blue satin straps and vintage pink buttons. His bow tie is a lighter pastel pink and I tried to find him a vintage blue bear, similar to what I have on mine.

    But sadly, I could not find one. I did find a pink one, but it was a bit too large to play his little brother. So this blue bear will have to do. I am particularly happy with how his rubber face turned out as you can see from the before and after photos above. He's such a handsome guy and definitely ready to be loved again!

    I decided not to sew the mini bear onto Buddy's arm. That way the new owner can decide to keep him there or not. Especially if a better version is found. Haha!

    Another look at his backside and right side of his body. He is very cute and now I'm finding it hard to decide whether to let him go or not. Haha! No I must resist keeping him...

    But ultimately, I would rather he be loved, besides I have my minty one. Teehee! Just one of the Mary Rushton's plushies that is a favorite in my collection. I am sure at some point I will let go my minty one. But I doubt it. Haha!

I truly enjoy seeing these poor babies given a new life and ready to be loved again, while not try to overly restore them. A good thing for sure!

Thank you for reading! ~ ggsdolls