Rare DAKIN DARDENELLE JUMBO BEAR FUR PILLOW PET

Updated August 8, 2026

AVAILABLE for SHIPPING or LOCAL PICKUP > Measuring approximately 36" from head to toe when fully extended and 26" across the naturally splayed feet, this exceptionally large vintage brown bear floor pillow was produced by the Dardenelle Division of R. Dakin & Company. Designed at the scale of functional children’s room furniture rather than an ordinary stuffed toy, the bear may be arranged flat as a floor cushion or seated upright against a wall, sofa or bed to create a substantial lounge pillow with embracing arms. The bear is constructed with a padded but more lightly filled midsection extending through the chest and stomach, giving the torso less firmness and resilience than the plump head, arms and legs. This intentional flexibility allows the bear to rest comfortably flat as a floor pillow or bend naturally between the shoulders and hips when raised into a seated position. The midsection is not empty and retains cushioning and support, while the more fully stuffed limbs and head provide the weight, shape and structure needed to surround a seated child much like a soft armchair. The substantial body is covered in warm cinnamon-russet brown shag fur, contrasted by smoother coppery chestnut brown fabric across the stomach, muzzle and inner surfaces of the limbs. Facial details include deep brown plastic eyes, a molded black nose and a black embroidered smile. Each paw retains three applied black felt claws. The separate woven brand tag reads ~ “PILLOW PETS” ® ~ while the contents label identifies ~ DARDENELLE DIV. ~ R. DAKIN & CO. ~ SAN FRANCISCO, CA. ~ CONTENTS: SHREDDED SYNTHETIC FOAM ~ PA. REG. #118 ~ ALL NEW MATERIAL ~ MADE IN MEXICO. R. Dakin & Company developed an extensive menagerie of realistic and character-style plush animals during the 20th century, with its Dardenelle Division particularly associated with the soft-bodied Pillow Pets line of the 1970s. Surviving Dakin bears are generally encountered in much smaller sizes, including examples measuring approximately 15" to 30". Comparatively few appear in this unusually large floor-lounge format, giving the piece particular interest to collectors of vintage Dakin plush, oversized advertising and display animals, and unconventional 1970s children’s furnishings. Smaller Dakin Pillow Pets bearing 1974 and 1976 dates are documented, but the undated labels on this example do not permit a precise year of manufacture. The exact Dakin model name has not been confirmed. Although bears from the period are sometimes identified by sellers as Big Beautiful Brown Bear or Grizzly Gus, no catalog or documented example has been located matching this bear’s exact combination of size, coloration and construction. Suggestions that it may have been created for store display or as a special retail or mail-order offering remain possible but presently unverified. A nostalgic statement piece for a children’s room, nursery, playroom, reading corner, family room or collector’s display, the bear also repre

Register & bid on this lot at Bidspirit →

More lots in this auction

• 3 > GRAPEVINE Floral WREATH & BRASS Candle SCONCES
• 1960s CHAR Mexico HANDMADE FLORAL SUEDE JACKET
• ENGLISH REGENCY Mahogany VELVET SOFA by HICKORY
• COBALT BLUE GLASS Footed TRUMPET VASE CENTERPIECE
• Antique 1918 UNDERWOOD NO. 5 STANDARD TYPEWRITER
• HICKORY CHAIR MAHOGANY FEDERAL SIDEBOARD BUFFET
• FISHER-PRICE Heart Cutout COUNTRY BABY HIGH CHAIR
• CHINESE BLUE WHITE FANG VASE PORCELAIN TABLE LAMP

See all lots in CENTREVILLE, MISSISSIPPI Van Cleave FAMILY LIVING ESTATE →