Swensen's Red Bear Promotional Figure with Button Eyes

A glossy, bright cherry-red bear figure with a sleek, rounded designer-toy shape. It has big round ears and dark button eyes stitched with a white cross, a little black nose with a downturned mouth, and a black bow tie printed at the neck. There are black cross-stitched buttons at the shoulders where the arms join. The back is printed with the Swensen's logo in cream script, so it's most likely a promotional piece from the ice cream chain. It stands about a hand-span tall and makes a bold pop of colour on a shelf. It's in good condition with a clean, shiny finish.

Swensen's began in 1948, when Earle Swensen, who had learned to make ice cream while serving in the US Navy during World War II, opened his first Ice Cream Shoppe at the corner of Union and Hyde in San Francisco, right along the cable car tracks. That original shop still serves ice cream today, and the brand grew into a chain of ice cream parlours around the world.