Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

PUNKINHEAD

Date Range From

1950

Date Range To

1960

Materials

COTTON, LEATHER, PLASTIC

No. Pieces

3

Length

24

Width

12.3

Description

A. BROWN “PUNKINHEAD” STUFFD BEAR, 24 CM LONG X 12.3 CM WIDE. BEAR DRESSED IN GREEN SHIRT AND SHORTS; BEAR HAS TWO WHITE PLASTIC BUTTON EYES WITH BLACK PLASTIC BEAD ON TOP, SEWN ONTO FACE; BEAR IS BROWN WITH LIGHTER BROWN CHEST, INSIDE OF EARS, SNOUT, AND TOP OF HEAD. SNOUT HAS BLACK STITCHING FOR NOSE AND MOUTH; FEET ENCASED IN BROWN LEATHER. FUR IS MISSING IN PATCHES AND THIINED; LEATHER ON FEET IS CRACKED AND FADED; BEAR IS MISSING FUR FROM LIGHTER PATCH ON TOP OF HEAD. OVERALL GOOD CONDITION. B. GREEN COTTON SHIRT, 8 CM LONG X 6 CM WIDE. HANDMADE WITH BLACK MACHINE STITCHING AT CUFFS AND HEM; BACK IS CINCHED WITH BLACK THREAD; SLEEVES HAVE ROLLED CUFFS. FRONT IS OPEN WITH TIES AT COLLAR TO ATTACH. OVERALL EXCELLENT CONDITION. C. GREEN COTTON SHORTS, 5.5 CM LONG X 6 CM WIDE. HANDMADE WITH BLACK MACHINE STITCHING INSIDE LEG HOLES AND AT WAIST. WAIST IS ELASTIC; BACK HAS MINOR FRAYING AT EDGE OF LEFT LEG HOLE. OVERALL EXCELLENT CONDITION.

Subjects

TOY

Historical Association

LEISURE

History

ON AUGUST 22, 2018, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED MARG OBERG REGARDING HER DONATION OF “PUNKINHEAD” STUFFED BEARS. OBERG DONATED THE PUNKINHEADS AS A CONTRIBUTION FOR THE UPCOMING GALT MUSEUM EXHIBIT “RECOLLECTING HOME” FROM FEBRUARY 1-MAY 5, 2019. ON THE PUNKINHEAD IN THE GREEN OUTFIT, OBERG RECALLED, “THE OLDEST IS THE RATTIEST LITTLE GUY [IN GREEN]…I WAS BORN IN ’49, SO IT WOULD HAVE BEEN [GIVEN TO ME] ’53.” “THE FIRST ONE [IS SPECIAL TO ME], BECAUSE HE OPENED UP MY EYES TO, AT THAT AGE, BEING TO LOVE AN INANIMATE OBJECT, AS OPPOSED TO PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, OR SIBLINGS. HE’S PROBABLY GOT A LOT MORE SECRETS TO TELL THAN THE BIGGER ONE.” “[THE BEAR WAS] WELL- LOVED, HE’S LOST A LOT OF HAIR. HE’S GOT NEW SHOES ON…AS FAR AS I KNOW, THE FIRST ONE…WAS SO WELL-WORN, AND SO WELL- LOVED, THAT MY GRANDMOTHER, WHO DID A LOT OF SEWING AND HAND-WORK, GAVE HIM NEW SHOES. HIS LITTLE FELT PANTS, THAT CAME WITH HIM, WERE LONG WORN-OUT, SO SHE SEWED HIM ANOTHER LITTLE OUTFIT.” “I GUESS, AS A MOTHER OF ACTUAL CHILDREN, IT’S POLITICALLY CORRECT TO SAY, “I LOVE THEM ALL THE SAME.” AS A CHILD, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I LOVED THEM ALL THE SAME. BUT OF COURSE, WITH CHILDREN, OFTEN [TIMES], BIGGER IS BETTER. THE LARGEST OF THEM ALL, WHO IS IN STILL THE BEST CONDITION, I WOULD GUESS THAT HE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN THE MOST LOVED. AS I GOT OLDER, HE WAS ON DISPLAY WITH OTHER STUFFED ANIMALS THAT I HAD ACQUIRED OVER THE YEARS, BECAUSE OF HIS CONDITION, WHEREAS THE OTHER, MORE DILAPIDATED CHARACTERS PROBABLY TOOK A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A BACK SEAT. THEY WERE NOT IN AS GOOD CONDITION. THAT’S A QUESTION THAT I HADN’T REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT. I’M JUST GOING ON [MY] INTUITION.” OBERG ELABORATED ON HOW SHE ACQUIRED THE BEARS, “FOLK LORE WITHIN THE FAMILY IS THAT I WOULD GET ONE TEDDY BEAR EVERY TWO YEARS…MY [MATERNAL] GRANDPARENTS [JAMES “JIMMY” MCINTOSH AND ELSIE PEARL MCINTOSH] GIFTED [MY FIRST] TO ME AT CHRISTMAS WHEN I WAS 3 YEARS OLD. AS FAR AS I AM AWARE, IT IS A MERRYTHOUGHT PUNKINHEAD, AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN PURCHASED THROUGH EATON’S…THE PUNKINHEAD WAS KIND OF A CHRISTMAS MASCOT. IT WAS VERY APPROPRIATE FOR MY GRANDPARENTS TO GIVE IT TO ME AT CHRISTMAS. EATON’S WAS A VERY PROMINENT DEPARTMENT STORE IN LETHBRIDGE AT THAT POINT IN TIME, AND MOST EVERYBODY DID THEIR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING AT EATON’S. WE DIDN’T HAVE ANY OTHER (AT LEAST THAT I WAS AWARE OF, AS A CHILD GROWING UP) DEPARTMENT STORES. WE DIDN’T HAVE THE WALMARTS. EATON’S WAS THE PLACE TO GO. SO, [MY FIRST] ONE WAS FROM WHEN I WAS 3 YEARS OLD.” “WHEN I WAS A CHILD, GROWING UP IN LETHBRIDGE, I DON’T BELIEVE THAT [MY GRANDPARENTS] HAD THE DISPOSABLE INCOME TO BE GENEROUS. IN THOSE DAYS, CHILDREN WEREN’T EXPECTING AN AWFUL LOT. WE GOT ONE GIFT FROM OUR GRANDPARENTS, AND SANTA WOULD ALWAYS BRING A FEW. I DON’T EVEN RECALL IF OUR PARENTS GAVE US ANYTHING. IT WAS JUST SANTA, AND WE ALWAYS HAD OUR CHRISTMAS MEAL ON CHRISTMAS EVE, AT MY GRANDPARENT’S HOME. AFTER THE DISHES WERE ALL CLEANED UP, AND WE’D HAD OUR MEAL, THEN THE CHILDREN WERE ALLOWED TO OPEN OUR PRESENTS, OR OUR ONE GIFT, FROM THE GRANDPARENTS. THAT WAS EVEN MORE OF A CULMINATION OF THAT TENSION, FOR CHILDREN, WAITING FOR CHRISTMAS. IT WAS ALWAYS A VERY EXCITING TIME. I AM ASSUMING THAT I HAD SOME SORT OF AWARENESS OF PUNKINHEAD, SO, OF COURSE, [I] WAS VERY EXCITED TO GET ONE.” “[THERE WAS] LOTS OF CARRYING THEM AROUND. AS A CHILD, I DIDN’T HAVE A FAVORITE BLANKET OR ANYTHING. IT WAS MY TEDDY BEARS. I LIKED, ALWAYS, TO HAVE SOMETHING SOFT AND FUZZY UP AGAINST MY FACE, AND AGAINST MY NOSE. THEY WERE JUST THE RIGHT SIZE THAT I COULD HANG ON TO THEM WITH ONE HAND, AND RUB MY NOSE AGAINST THEM. THEY WERE A SECURITY FEATURE. AGAIN, BEING MADE OF NON-WASHABLE SUBSTANCES, THE WOODEN STUFFING AND THE LEATHER SHOES, THEY WEREN’T WASHABLE. MAYBE WITH THE NOWADAYS, MOTHERS CAN THROW THE STUFFIES IN THE WASHING MACHINE AND REFRESH THEM, AND THE FIBER IS A LOT MORE [DURABLE]. THEY’RE PROBABLY SO RATTY-LOOKING BECAUSE OF BEING CONSTANTLY WITH ME–-HAVING TEA PARTIES WITH THEM, AND JUST GENERALLY PUTTING THEM IN STROLLERS AND TAKING THEM OUT AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THEY WERE VERY WELL GUARDED. WE NEVER HAD ANY PETS IN THE HOUSE TO COME AND CHEW THEM UP. ALL OF THEIR DISTRESSED LOOK IS FROM LOVE. “WHEN THE BIG ONE CAME, THAT WAS A BONE OF CONTENTION, BECAUSE WITH ALL OF THE FOUR BEARS IN THE BED, THERE WAS HARDLY ROOM FOR ME [TO SLEEP]. I HAD BEEN, ON OCCASION, FOUND ON THE FLOOR, BECAUSE THERE WASN’T ROOM FOR ME IN BED. THAT WAS A “NO-NO.” MY PARENTS SAID, “NO, IF ANYBODY GOES ON THE FLOOR, IT’S THE BEARS.” THEY WERE A HUGE PART OF MY LIFE.” “I NEVER DID LET THEM OUT OF MY SIGHT LONG ENOUGH, AS A CHILD. MY PARENTS KNEW HOW IMPORTANT THEY WERE, SO IT HAS TO BE THAT MY PARENTS HAD THEM STASHED AWAY SOMEWHERE, FOR WHEN I WAS OLD ENOUGH OR INTERESTED ENOUGH TO GET THEM BACK. THEY MEANT AN AWFUL LOT TO ME, BECAUSE THEY WERE GIFTED TO ME BY MY GRANDPARENTS. I SPENT MANY HOURS IN THEIR HOME. MY MOTHER WORKED OUT OF OUR BASEMENT. SHE WAS A CERAMICS TEACHER, AND SO SHE WAS ONE OF THE FEW WOMEN, IN THE EARLY ‘50S, THAT WAS EARNING AN INCOME. I HAD SUCH A FONDNESS FOR MY GRANDPARENTS, AND THEY WERE ONLY BLOCKS AWAY FROM OUR HOME, THAT I SPENT MOST OF MY DAYS THERE.” “THE CLOTHING IS NOT ORIGINAL. THE ORIGINAL SHORTS WERE JUST A LITTLE PANT IN A FELT FABRIC, AND THE FELT WAS NOT STURDY. IT GOT ALL SHREDDED, AND FELL OFF. MY GRANDMOTHER REPLACED THE CLOTHING ON ALL OF THEM.” “BUT NOW, THE NEWEST OF THEM, THE ONE WITH THE RED PANTS–-THE REPAIRS ON HIS SNOUT ARE NOT CONSISTENT WITH THE WAY MY GRANDMOTHER WOULD REPAIR THEM. I THINK I REPAIRED THAT ONE MYSELF. MY GRANDMOTHER HAD PASSED AWAY WHEN I WAS 13, AND, BY THAT POINT IN MY LIFE, IT WAS ONLY THE LARGE ONE THAT I HAD KEPT OUT. I BELIEVE THAT ONCE MY GRANDMOTHER HAD PASSED AWAY, AND THEN WHEN I REVIVED BRINGING THESE ONES OUT A NUMBER OF YEARS LATER, I DID A VERY ‘MICKEY MOUSE’ JOB OF REPAIRING HIM. THE OTHER ONES WOULD HAVE BEEN REPAIRED BY MY GRANDMOTHER.” “WHEN MY HUSBAND AND I WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO GET GRANDCHILDREN, AT CHRISTMAS TIME I WOULD PUT UP [THE BEARS]. I WOULD MAKE A LITTLE TEDDY BEAR DISPLAY AT CHRISTMAS TIME, AND THE GRANDCHILDREN WERE INTRODUCED TO THEM. THEY DIDN’T MEAN ANYTHING TO THE GRANDCHILDREN WHEN THEY WERE YOUNG. THEY HAD THEIR OWN TEDDIES. THEY JUST KNEW THAT THEY WEREN’T ALLOWED TO TOUCH THEM.” “THE MUSEUM IS IN THE PROCESS NOW OF DEVELOPING A NEW EXHIBIT FOR THE BEGINNING OF NEXT YEAR, 2019, AND I MADE THE CHOICE TO VOLUNTEER MYSELF TO BE PART OF THAT EXHIBIT. I BELIEVE THAT SOME OF THESE ITEMS MIGHT BE BENEFICIAL TO BE A PART OF WHAT I DEEM TO BE “HOME”. MY TWO CHILDREN DON’T HAVE ANY DESIRE TO ACQUIRE ANY OF THE OLD THINGS THAT MEANT SOMETHING TO ME, PARTICULARLY AS A CHILD. THAT I UNDERSTAND, BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT LETHBRIDGE IS WANTING TO CONTINUE TO ACQUIRE ITEMS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO LETHBRIDGE’S HISTORY, AND THE HISTORY OF THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN LETHBRIDGE.” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20180021001-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20180021004

Acquisition Date

2018-08

Collection

Museum

Less detail