Sgt. Pepper-inspired Pudsey bear sold for charity

BBC Children in Need is the BBC’s UK charity for disadvantaged children and young people in the UK. One of the highlights is an annual telethon held in November and televised on BBC One and BBC Two. “Pudsey Bear” has been BBC Children in Need’s mascot since 1985 and was created and named by BBC graphic designer Joanna Lane. Lane said, “It was like a lightbulb moment for me. We were bouncing ideas off each other and I latched on to this idea of a teddy bear. I immediately realised there was a huge potential for a mascot beyond the 2D logo” when asked to revamp the logo with a brief to improve the charity’s image.

For the 2013 campaign, Paul McCartney designed a Pudsey Bear, dressed with a “Sgt. Pepper” blue satin suit, that was auctioned on eBay and was sold for £4,000.

From Daily Mail Online, November 6, 2013:

This year’s Children In Need is all about the celebrity bears.

Eight stars have been immortalised as our favourite teddy for the charity.

The VIP, or ‘Very Important Pudsey’, collection has been designed by iconic British names that include Coldplay, Joanna Lumley, Dame Helen Mirren, Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Paul McCartney, Dame Judi Dench, Brian May and Sir Terry Wogan. […]

The range of bears are set to be displayed over the next two weeks at St Pancras International station concourse in London before being auctioned off on eBay to help raise money for Children In Need.

From Facebook, November 18, 2013:

Less than 4 hours left to bid for ‘Sgt. Pepper’ Pudsey!! The Very Important Pudsey Collection is part of the official BBC Children in Need online auction 2013. Paul has designed a Very Important ‘Sgt. Pepper’ Pudsey, dressed in a duchess blue satin suit with gold trimmings and military shoulders.

Sgt. Pepper Pudsey comes complete with embellishments of medals and buttons, a black mohawk and skull print bandana! Every single penny raised by the auction will go to BBC Children in Need and its work towards making a positive difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people.

From ebay:

Sir Paul McCartney’s Very Important Pudsey

The Very Important Pudsey Collection is part of the official BBC Children in Need online auction 2013.

Sir Paul McCartney has designed a ‘Sgt. Pepper’ Bear inspired by the legendary Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Dressed in a duchess blue satin suit with gold trimmings and military shoulders, the Sgt. Pepper Bear comes complete with embellishments of medals and buttons which are all vintage military. The Bear also features a black Mohawk and skull print bandana.

The Very Important Pudsey Collection sees Pudsey recreated in an array of different colours from brown to royal blue, in a range of different materials from velvet to diamante, and in a range of different styles, from an Ab Fab Pudsey to a Leprechaun Pudsey. The Collection is being exclusively exhibited at St Pancras International until Sunday 17 November.

BBC Children in Need will dispatch by courier within 5 working days of the payment reaching our paypal account, courier costs for deliveries within the UK are £50.00. For buyers living outside of the UK the delivery charge and timings will vary.

Every single penny raised by the auction will go to BBC Children in Need and its work towards making a positive difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people right here in the UK.

Thank you for supporting BBC Children in Need

Happy Bidding!

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