STUFFIE SPOTLIGHT: Sprinkles the Bear!

STUFFIE SPOTLIGHT: Sprinkles

Hey everyone, please welcome Sprinkles the Bear as the first STUFFIE SPOTLIGHT feature of 2021! Enjoy his interview below! Thank you, Sprinkles, for participating!

1)  What is your name and where do you live?

My name is Sprinkles and I am originally from Des Moines, IA. I was given as a Valentine's present to my "mom" in 2017. Now I live in Manheim, PA.

2)  Tell us about how you got started blogging/writing.

I started my Facebook page because my "mom" traveled a lot for work, and she would bring me along and take pictures of me wherever we went. I have been to at least 26 different states and Canada in the last 4 years. Some of my favorite trips have been to New Orleans, Utah, Las Vegas, and Niagara Falls.

3)  What other pursuits do you have?

I really like outdoor activities, such as ATVing, hiking, and kayaking. I also like concerts and the theater.

4)  What is your favorite food and favorite thing to do?

I like all kinds of food! I can't pick a favorite.  But my favorite drink is bubble tea!

STUFFIE SPOTLIGHT: Emily Harkess and Hermione Beare

Today we are introducing some new friends to the STUFFIE SPOTLIGHT. Please welcome EMILY HARKESS and HERMIONE BEARE! (Fun fact: Hermione Beare is my cousin.)

1) What is your name and where do you live?

My name is Emily Harkess (I'm a monkey!) and this is my best friend, Hermione Beare. We've just moved to a suburb of Albuquerque, New Mexico! Up until this September, we lived in the Boston, Massachusetts area. Our pet human and I (Emily) are originally from Denver, Colorado, but we met Hermione at a Shakespeare festival in western Massachusetts.

 

2) Tell us about how you got started blogging/writing.

We have a very active presence on Facebook, with lots of friends (fluffy and human) all over the world! It grew accidentally out of our love of theater: You see, our pet human is an actress. Once, she was in a show that was a collection of scenes from Shakespeare, and that included the pirate scene from Hamlet. You did know there were pirates in Hamlet, didn't you? Sometimes they just tell you about the pirates, but in this show, they thought, "How can we have pirates in the story and not show them off?" so the pirates came in and acted out their story while Horatio was talking about them. My human was playing a pirate, and it was a pretty silly scene, so one day, she suggested to the director that every pirate ship needs a pirate monkey, and she asked if I could join the show. The director agreed, and I became part of the cast. Here I am in my pirate costume, with one of my co-stars:

Well, everyone in the show was having fun posting cast pictures on Facebook and tagging every actor so all of their friends could see how much fun they were having in the play. One day the director said, "Why doesn't Emily have a Facebook page? I want to tag Emily in the photos, too!" So Anita (my human) built a Facebook page for me. At first, we just expected it would be a way to tag me in pictures from that play, but then I started getting friend requests from other stuffies on Facebook. I accepted, and those fluffy friends introduced me to more and more fluffy friends, and my Facebook life and international fluffy network grew from there!

There are also some good stories about how Hermione Beare came into the mix: I met Hermione when my pet human went to Shakespeare & Company, a theater company in Lenox, Massachusetts, to attend their month-long intensive actor training course. Actors move in for a whole month, and they spend almost every waking moment in that month studying voice, movement, emotional connection, stage combat, clown, and all kinds of actor-y things like that! I knew it was going to be hard work for her, so I came along to teddy my human through it. While we were there, we found out there were Shakespearean teddy bears in the theater gift shop. One of the big shows in the company's latest season had been Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale," which includes the famous stage direction, "Exit, pursued by a beare." So the gift shop was selling teddy bears wearing t-shirts that said "Exit, pursued by a beare." One of those bears chose my human to adopt and follow home. She was named Hermione, after the queen who is a main character in "The Winter's Tale." Queen Hermione is very smart and brave and tough, and so is Hermione Beare! As soon as she came back to our dorm room to meet me, I knew we were going to be bestest buddies forever!

One more amazing thing we discovered about Hermione's heritage: As we got to know Ajdin Adilovic, the Bosnian Bear, online, we noticed that he and Hermione looked a lot alike. But how could that be? Hermione grew up at a Shakespeare festival in Massachusetts, and Ajdin was from a gift shop far away (in Bosnia, was it?). But Hermione and Ajdin checked the tags on their bums, and they both had the same company name on them, Steven Smith! It turns out that Hermione is Ajdin's cousin from the same stuffie manufacturer!

3) What other pursuits do you have?

As I've mentioned, we have a pet human, and she does fun things we like to participate in with her. Sometimes, at Halloween, the human dresses up as someone fun, and Hermione and I can dress up in costumes that go with that. For example, last Halloween, our pet human went as Nanny Ashtoreth, the demon nanny from the Amazon Prime show, "Good Omens." I put on devilish red jammies and a name tag that said "Hello, my name is Warlock" (That's the kid Ashtoreth nannied for.) and Hermione went as my demonic teddy bear! (Her t-shirt says "All hail the great beast.)

Here we are with our human:

And here's a better shot of our costumes:

We also like to go on road trips to interesting places (like the site of a Jesse James train robbery in Iowa!):

And I play stuffed guitar:

And hang out with our sweethearts, Chip the monkey for me and Groot bear for Hermione.

And finally, we love the theater, especially Shakespeare. In fact, Ajdin featured us on his blog earlier this year, when he asked what everyone was doing for fun during quarantine lockdown, and we sent this photo of us and some of our other fluffy friends watching a video of David Tennant in Shakespeare's "Richard II."

4) What is your favorite food and favorite thing to do?

We've already listed so many of our favorite things to do! As for foods, my (Emily's) favorite foods are anything to do with bananas! I especially like banana-flavored lattes. I actually started my life as a decoration in a monkey-themed coffee shop called The Monkey Bean. We had banana-flavored syrup our customers could choose to add to any coffee drink! When the coffee shop had to close down (the land owners tore it down and put up a parking lot. Really.), my pet human, who was a customer there, adopted me and took me home with her. I still love coffee, though!

 

Hermione, true to her brown bear roots, is a big fan of salmon and everything to do with honey! We also both love banana splits. I love the bananas, Hermione loves the berries, and we both love sharing the sweetness with our very best friend!

 

Stuffie Spotlight: Beanie Mouse

Who's in the Stuffie Spotlight? Beanie Mouse!

1)  What is your name and where do you live?

My name is Beanie - I used to live on Mouse Island with my extended family but there was a tsunami and we all got washed away in coconut shells and ended up in different places. I washed ashore on Brighton beach and was found under a pile of seaweed by Andrea. I live with her now.

2)  Tell us about how you got started blogging/writing.

After many years shaking under a duvet in the corner and drinking lots of hot chocolate Andrea persuaded me to come with her to Paris in 2008....... it was amazing! That's when I started my travel blog!!

3)  What other pursuits do you have?

When we go out, a lot of times I find stuff lying on the sidewalk like coins and parking tickets and stuff like that. I pick them up and take them home and sometimes make stuff with them (not the coins though - I keep those!!) to tie onto railings for people to find!

4)  What is your favorite food and favorite thing to do?

My favourite food is eating cayke!!! Well, eating generally, but cayke in particular! I like painting and making stuff and sending cards to people and travelling and seeing stuff I've not seen before. And cayke. Love cayke.....

Stuffie Spotlight: Droopy W. Dog

My friend Droopy is in the Stuffie Spotlight! Check out his fascinating interview below!

1)  What is your name and where do you live?

My name is Droopy W. Dog.  Everyone always wonders what the "W" stands for.  I've tried to keep it a secret, but my human inadvertently released a photo a few years ago and gave the whole thing away.  Tsk...good help is so hard to find...

I currently live in the great state of Texas.  Before that, my human and I lived in New Jersey for a very long time and had to deal with northeastern winters.  We miss looking at the snow, but we don't miss shoveling it!

2)  Tell us about how you got started blogging/writing.

Actually, I was inspired after reading the blog of a certain little brown bear from Bosnia  :)  I thought blogging would be a good way for me to connect with other stuffies.  Since I've started blogging, I've become friends with Ajdin, Little Fox, Sandy Bear, Jerry and Ben, Beanie Mouse, and several others.  We sometimes exchange gifts and cards in the mail, to the point where I now receive more Christmas cards than my human.

The blog has also helped me convince my human to bring me along for trips and special outings, because of the ongoing need for content!

  

3)  What other pursuits do you have?

Amateur crimefighting, psychotherapy, and stand-up comedy (more details can be found on my blog page).  You will sometimes find me serving as a model for my human's art projects.  I am also a passionate meatatarian (see next question).  

4)  What is your favorite food and favorite thing to do?

Those familiar with my blog will know that my #1 favorite food is bacon.  However, I love most meat-based products.  My human and I visited a beef jerky outlet some time ago, and it was hard to get me to leave.... 

My favorite activities are traveling, watching movies, or just hanging out with the other members of my pack--Patch, Spunky, and Grandpa Angus!

Thanks Droopy for the great interview! Will YOU be next in the Stuffie Spotlight? Stay tuned!

Stuffie Spotlight: Jerry and Ben

What is your name and where do you live?

Jerry & Ben Bear, and we live in cold and wintery Antarctica..."What a minute, says Ben, we DO NOT live in Antartica, we live in the upper midwest, mostly in MinneSOta." Ok, that's true, we just had a beary harsh and beary LONG winter this year.

Tell us about how you got started blogging/writing.

We started blogging because we thought it would be beary fun to share stories of our travels and the fun adventures that we have. The very first stuffy we found was Hammie (Hi Hammie!); until then we thought we were the only stuffies who blogged. Then of course we found Sullivan Pig, Beanie Mouse, Bob T. Bear & Dilly, since they were already friends with Hammie. A bit later, another bear from Canada found us, Sandy! We think we are probably distant cousins with Sandy. because we do look very much alike. Now we have even more stuffie pals like Ajdin, Little Fox, and Droopy!

What other pursuits do you have?

We enjoy traveling, watching movies, taking long hikes, and working in the garden. Ben is practicing French, and he likes to cook and bake. Jerry likes to draw (he hasn't done that in a while, but you can see some of his drawings on the blog), and he likes to help out in the kitchen as the official taste-tester. Of course, we also enjoy following the fun adventures of of blog pals.

What is your favorite food and favorite thing to do?

Our favorite foods are honey, salmon, Ben's cookies, and hot chocolate. "That's just for starters" adds Jerry, "I'll send you the 50-page list sometime next week."

We do enjoy traveling, but it's also nice to relax at home and have a picnic in the back yard (only in the summer of course). Our humans do a fairly good job of finding fun things to do, but luckily there are stuffies around to keep things organized, otherwise it might be chaos.

Stuffie Spotlight - Alexander Mackenzie Bear

Hey everyone, this month a beary good friend of mine is in the Stuffie Spotlight. Please welcome Sandy Bear (aka Alexander Mackenzie Bear)!

1) What is your name and where do you live?

My name is Alexander Mackenzie Bear, but you can call me Sandy. I'm named after Alexander Mackenzie, one of the great Canadian/Scottish explorers! I live in an old coal mining town called Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

2) Tell us about how you got started blogging/writing.

Well, it sort of started off as a dare... could I post/write about an adventure every day for a year? It took a bit, cause human sekrebearies are NOT the most reliable, but I managed it! During that year, I discovered that there were other stuffie bloggers out there who were also writing about their adventures. And the rest is history.

3) What other pursuits do you have?

Well, let's see... I love exploring new places. Travel, hiking, photography, kayaking, camping, road trips. All of that is great fun. I'm also a bit of a home body when I'm not traveling which means gardening, cooking and home repairs. I have several alter egos: Handy Sandy, Chef Sandy, Farmer Sandy... and, of course, Sherlock Sandy!! Whenever there is a mystery... I get called in to solve it. I don't take on "Missing Honey" or "Where's the Salmon?" cases though... I'm also a member of the RCMP Bear Squad, a duty I take beary seriously.

4) What is your favorite food and favorite thing to do?

Other than honey and hot chocolate? Well... I think roasting bratwurst over the campfire with beet/potato salad. My favourite thing to do is hiking in the forest!

Here is the link to Sandy's blog: http://bearistabear.blogspot.ca/

Will YOU be next in the Stuffie Spotlight?

Stuffie Spotlight: Little Fox

This month's Stuffie Spotlight features my friend Little Fox! Thank you Little Fox, for sharing your interview.

1) What is your name and where do you live?

My given name is Little Fox.   Yes, my first name is Little (I guess my mom knew I was the runt of the litter). Droopy started calling me L.F. and I like that nickname. I’ve lived most of my life in Oregon and like it here a-lot (except for the traffic, ugh).

2) Tell us about how you got started blogging/writing.

I have been traveling and adventuring with my roommates for many years.  My roommates always had little stories about my eccentricities.  There was a time I was addicted to rice crackers, I love Huckleberries, and I often go out at night to a place called the Bear Hall where local stuffies go and party.  My roommate played around with writing a few books involving animals and realized it was hard work to write a book but it was pretty easy to start blogging so here we are.

 3) What other pursuits do you have?

Great question. Hmm, I would have to say my favorite pursuit is, wait for it......hiking.  I love to explore the trails in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere.  My favorite trail is Observation Peak in Yellowstone National Park.  It's about 10 miles but worth every step. Since January 1, 2013 I have hiked around 760 miles. I started keeping track in 2013 but have been hiking much longer.  I think that if Stuffie Tours ever starts a hiking division I want to help out. 

Besides hiking I also like to travel.  Most of my travel is around the Northwest on weekend trips or day trips.  I have been to a few international destinations including: Puerto Vallarta Mexico, Canadian Rockies, Sandy's house in Canada, and on a stuffie tour to London. 

Most of my domestic travel has been based on the Western Coast of the United States (hey, it's close to my house) but I do want to take a tour to the monuments of DC, the sites of NYC, and to visit my East Coast stuffie friends.

Cooking is an important part of my life.  I like to help my roommates cook meals that I sometimes get to eat.  I am planning on having a recipe contest in the future (as I did a couple of years ago) to see what kinds of neat foods my stuffie friends share with me.  

My other hobbies include: visiting wineries and tasting their wine, periodically going to the local casinos, and I am trying to visit the Grand Hotels of Oregon (which there are not many).

Another hobby that I enjoy is finding unique signs along my travels. I am a sucker for anything with an animal but a good quirky sign makes me happy. 

Now, I am always on the lookout for new hobbies so if you have any suggestions readers please share......please……please! 

4) What is your favorite food and favorite thing to do?

Excellent question.  Being a fox, I have to say that my favorite food is chicken.  I enjoy chicken in a pot with potatoes cooking in the juices of the chicken. Yum.

I really like all types of food and styles of cooking. It's quite a combination of science and art.  One thing that doesn't do it for me is baking, too much of a science for me (unless the baking involves opening a box mix of Ghirardelli brownies and throwing it in the oven). 

My favorite thing to do is take trips.  That could be a day trip to the beach or a more involved trip to another state.  Of course on my travels I like to hike, try restaurants, try to find where the locals go, and sometimes I meet other stuffies.  

5) What's next for Little Fox? I added a question, I hope that's OK....I have encouraged some of my human friends to get stuffies and take them out on adventures.  I need to encourage more of my human friends to get stuffies.  Maybe I should here a PR agency?

There are some trails that are "hut to hut" hikes where you day hike, go to a lodge, have a meal prepared by a cook, and sleep in a bed.  That sounds pretty good to me.

I would also like to travel the AlCan Highway.  Can you imagine the wildlife on the trip from Alaska through Canada to Washington state?  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Highway

Stay tuned for the next Stuffie Spotlight - will it be you?

Stuffie Spotlight: Teddy Tedaloo

Hello everyone! Today I am going to be doing the first ever Stuffie Spotlight interview. This will be a monthly feature where I interview a stuffie friend of mine. Today's guest is Teddy Tedaloo!

What is your name and where do you live?

I’m Teddy Tedaloo, and I’m a famous author and celebrity bear! Right now I live in the Pacific Northwest. But I’ve lived all over the place—California, Florida, Washington, the mountains of north Georgia, and for a long time in England.

Tell us about how you got started blogging/writing.

My mama’s an author and we thought we should write some books together, so we finally did. We had an idea to do a cozy mystery series about a bear character named Thelonious T. Bear, but it wasn’t until we spent time in Norfolk England that we came up with how to go forward. So far I’ve written two books: Rotten Peaches (The Thelonious T. Bear Chronicles) and Normal for Norfolk (The Thelonious T. Bear Chronicles). Thelonious is a photojournalist bear from England. He drives a Mini Cooper and always gets in trouble even though he doesn’t do anything wrong. I’ve already got the third book planned. I just need to wait until Mama is done with some books for her new horror series. Then we can get cracking with the third Thelonious T. Bear book!

What other pursuits do you have?

Does drinking pints count as a pursuit?

I have a newspaper The Teddy Tedaloo Times. It has lots of news about animals and us bears, with plenty of rescue stuff because I’m an animal advocate. I think animals are way more important than people so I try to help them any way I can! I also do cross-posting in social media and administer the Charlie to the Rescue Crossposts group on Facebook. Me and Mama helped that group get started. It now has more than 15,000 members.

I also have the Teddy Tedaloo Store at my website. I have a real cool beans 2017 calendar and some coasters for sale. I’d like to expand with more products in the future and offer a calendar every year. A portion of everything I sell goes to National Mill Dog Rescue, which is an excellent rescue organization in the United States.

What is your human like?

Well, I better be real careful what I say about Mama in case she reads this. Mama’s a very busy author like me. Her name is Mitzi Szereto. Of course I’m way more famous and popular then she is even though she’s written more books than me. I always have to supervise her or she wouldn’t even know what day it is. She drives me around to see and do stuff and we travel when we can. Okay, so her cooking isn’t too good, but she loves me!

What is your favorite food and favorite thing to do?

I like all kinds of food, but we stopped eating meat because it’s not nice to eat animals. I really like fish, and salt and vinegar crisps, and aged cheddar cheese. And ice cream. And chocolate. My favorite thing to do is go to brew pubs for a pint of craft ale. We have some real good ones in the Pacific Northwest. It’s my goal to visit them all!

Links:

Teddy Tedaloo website: http://teddytedaloo.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeddyTedaloo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeddyTedaloo.FanPage/

The Teddy Tedaloo Times: https://paper.li/teddytedaloo/1420153120#/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6450257.Teddy_Tedaloo

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Tedaloo/e/B00DY8YMTK/


Will you be next in the spotlight?