Romeo is looking for love – he seeks a lady bear companion so he can become a couple, like his Steiff relatives Ivy & John. He thinks he stands a good chance, given that he has a heart-shaped mask face, which gives him the edge.

The ‘mask bear’ was first introduced in 1966, with a separately-inserted, short plush muzzle, that does indeed resemble a heart!  The new design became part of Steiff’s Original Teddy Bears series, only with the body of a young gawky baby bear. It only stayed in production until 1993 and, consequently, mask bears are more hard to come by.

Romeo still retains his gold scripted earbutton with the remains of a yellow stock tag. It’s likely he’s one of the later bears, made of caramel mohair with lock-in brown safety eyes, and a brown-embroidered nose and mouth. His pads are brushed fabric and, being a cub, he doesn’t have any claws.

Soft-stuffed, and 30cm (12″) tall, Romeo is fully-jointed, so he can hug any potential sweetheart. He’s in overall very good condition, and wears an old knitted waistcoat with an attached heart charm, to indicate he’s available (!), plus a silk neck ribbon.