SEEN AS a comforting companion for children across the country, it seems adults are also getting a good night’s sleep with the help of their teddy bear.
Over 75,000 of the cuddly chaps have been mistakenly left behind at hotels in the last year, with businessmen and woman calling the hotel in a desperate attempt to get them back.
Staff at Travelodges across the UK have done their best to reunite their customers with their bedtime pals.
If they can’t find the rightful owner then the toys are given to the local charity shop so they can find a new loving home.
And they found that the traditional ted is the most popular with Scots harking back to their childhood.
He is closely followed by Disney’s Winnie the Pooh and Paddington Bear.
Traditional
The hotel chain carried out a survey of Scots inspired by their customer’s love of their furry friends.
They found that over half of Scottish adults (51 per cent) still have a teddy bear from their childhood, with the average bear clocking up 27 years in the family.
This was backed up by 14 per cent of parents saying that they have passed their much-loved ted on to their children
And it seems the attachment doesn’t end when Scots enter adulthood – 35 per cent of grown-ups admitted that they sleep with a cuddly bear to help them nod off.
Although the general belief may be that women are more attached to their cuddly toys than men, a quarter of Scottish men say that they take their teddy on business trips with them as it reminds them of home and staves off homesickness.
And 14 per cent of men said their huggable friend is their best friend and they share their intimate secrets and problems with them.
Psychologist Corrine Sweet said that she is not surprised by the results.
She added: “Cuddling a teddy bear is an important part of our national psyche it evokes a sense of peace, security and comfort.
“It’s human nature to crave these feelings from childhood to adult life.
“It’s not surprising, then, that taking a teddy bear on a business trip is popular.
“As a bedtime bear evokes feelings of home, warmth, and can help you nod off – just like in babyhood.”
“Obsessed”
As well as their love for their teddy, researchers asked Scots what their favourite type of cuddly toy was.
The traditional teddy bear – such as Big and Little Ted from Playschool and Teddy from Andy Pandy – topped the poll.
Winnie the Pooh came in second, followed by the marmalade loving Paddington Bear.
The more modern Tatty Bear – better known as the ‘Me to You Bear’ – was the fourth most popular followed by Sooty the mute yellow bear who has been on our screens since the 1950s.
Shakila Ahmed from Travelodge said: “We are definitely a nation obsessed with teddy bears.
“We have never had as many as 75,000 cuddly bears left behind in Travelodge hotels before.
“Our hotel staff have worked extremely hard in reuniting the bears with their owners.
“Interestingly the owners have not just been children, we have had a large number of frantic businessmen and women call us regarding their forgotten teddy bear.”
The Scottish top ten most popular teddy bears:
1. Traditional teddy bear
2. Winnie the Pooh
3. Paddington Bear
4. Tatty Bear
5. Sooty
6. Care bears
7. Yogi bear
8. Fozzie bear
9. Rupert the Bear
10. Super Ted / Baloo
