Your Toy Portrait - Custom Toy Portraits by Jennifer Maher » Gund

Longly

Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 04:27:30 +0000

8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. Recently the wonderful Saratoga Mama blog, which provides info and discourse relevant to my area (near Saratoga Springs, NY) and my current position in life (mama,) was kind enough to host a toy portrait giveaway! I was thrilled when the winner, Becky, let me know that her 6-year-old daughter’s beloved toy is a stuffed giraffe — one of my very favorite motifs! This adorable Gund giraffe was hanging out in Calli’s crib when she first arrived, just waiting for her to notice him and fall in love. This she did, and he has been at her side through thick and thin ever since. After accidentally leaving Longly at Calli’s grandmother’s house, it became clear to Becky that there needed to be a back-up giraffe, just in case. Longly #2 now sits on a shelf in Calli’s room, and he occasionally comes down to play. (If you follow this site at all, you may have a prediction about how that situation will turn out!)

Double Snuffles

Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 03:28:35 +0000

8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. The worn pink noses on these two Gund Snuffles bears denote an incredible tale of destiny! These bears are the childhood toys of Katie’s sister and her husband, who are expecting a baby in September. Katie tells me that an uncanny thing that the couple has in common is that they both carried their bears around by the nose in their mouths! I wonder at what point in their relationship this was discovered, and did they immediately decide to marry at that moment? This portrait will be a gift to the couple from Katie in celebration of the new baby. Here is another Snuffles portrait I did a couple of years ago… apparently worn noses are par for the course with these bears!

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Brother Bear

Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 03:49:42 +0000

8″x10″ acrylic, 2011. The juxtaposition between the current state of “Brother Bear” and this photo of his of his original condition is, as Nate’s mother Claudia pointed out, “fascinating!” A Baby Gund, this once fluffy and cream-colored bear is now a bit rangy and matted, with grey, dreadlocked fur mostly obscuring his eyes. Claudia ordered this portrait to honor Brother Bear on what appears to be the brink of his becoming obsolete to 7-year-old Nate. This bear replaced an identical bear called “Baby Bear,” lost four years ago, that had been with Nate from birth.

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Gundy

Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 04:52:21 +0000

5″x7″ acrylic, 2010. Brendan’s girlfriend has had “Gundy” for more than twenty years, and it’s very charming that he wanted to give this little portrait to her as a Christmas gift. I agree with Brendan that the shirt, which was designed by a friend as a way to hold the tattered neck together, adds significant character. He felt that Gundy’s portrait should show him as he looks most of the time –propped against her light blue pillow, shirt rolled up and stomach hanging out! (Gundy, not Brendan, of course. As far as I know.)

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Print Sizes

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Snuffles

Jennifer At Your Toy Portrait — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:44:32 +0000

8″x10″ acrylic, 2010. Mamaista was kind enough to host a toy portrait giveaway, and the winner was Casey from the excellent blog www.mooshinindy.com! Snuffles, a classic, Gund bear, is her own childhood toy. His velvet nose is long worn away and he has bald spots behind one ear and on his belly. Although this general type of Gund bear was pretty common when most of us were kids, Casey points out that it’s rare to find one that is dark brown! Casey’s daughter Addie also been given two of these bears, both of a light tan color. I had a white one, myself. Had. Hmmm, where is he?