1994
How It Started
My grandparents had flown in from England, so my parents decided to drive us from Sydney up to Queensland,
stopping through Coffs Harbour along the way. I was one year old. My teddy at the time, 'Big Teddy,' was
coming with us, because even then, we didn't go anywhere without each other.
We got to the hotel in Surfers Paradise and Big Teddy was gone. Nowhere to be found. I was, as you can imagine, extremely distressed, crying, screaming, yearning for Big Teddy to be returned to me!
Grandma Rachel, holding me not long after I was born.
Grandma Rachel
The Replacement
That's when my grandma Rachel stepped in. She was the closest thing to a living angel this world has seen, the
embodiment of pure love, and she devoted her entire life in service of others, especially her family.
She could not handle one more tear out of me. She drove straight to the nearest shopping centre and picked out
a replacement teddy bear.
If it was anyone else, I'm sure they'd have picked out a temporary bear soon to be discarded. Not Grandma Rachel. The love that emanated from her was only ever going to pick out the most special teddy bear of all time, one I'd go on to share a lifetime bond with.
Me and my teddies — Big Teddy on the left, Teddy on the right.
Today
31 Years Later
That bear became 'Teddy'. My best friend, my child, my everything. Thirty-one years on, I'm still surgically
attached to him. If I'm in the lounge room, he's there. If I'm in bed, he's there. If I'm travelling, he's in the
suitcase. Simple rule: where I go, Teddy follows.
We even worked with a children's author years ago to write a book about our connection. I've still got the draft. Maybe that's a project worth resurrecting one day.
Still inseparable, 31 years on.
The Only Photo In Existence
MAFS
Then Teddy became famous
When I got cast on Married At First Sight, there was no version of me without Teddy. They wanted the real me,
and the real me comes with Teddy! So he came too, and somehow he ended up on national television, in front of
millions of people.
The internet had a field day debating whether a grown man sleeping with his teddy bear was a red flag or a
green flag. It didn't matter. The support I got back was overwhelming, because everyone who meets Teddy falls
in love with his cuteness, every single time.
The best part: bringing Teddy onto the show gave other people the courage to talk openly about their attachments to their own teddy bears, no matter how old they are.
Teddy, meeting the cast for the first time.
Teddy, stealing the show on Stan's After The Dinner Party. As always.
"Teddy carries the essence of Grandma Rachel's unconditional love, and she'll always live on in him. That's why he's so special to me, and people can feel the difference."
The Mission
It should never be embarrassing to love your teddy bear, at any age. That belief is the whole reason Teddy by Joel exists.
We're starting with apparel: tees, hoodies, sweaters. Every piece carries the same idea Teddy has always stood for — authenticity, connection, and unconditional love. Down the track, we'll expand into more.
Wear Teddy. Spread it far and wide.
Shop the Collection