Photo: Bentley
I have to admit, for one reason or another, I don't find luxury carmakers playful. It's probably because the machines they make are engineered, designed and specced in such a way they can only appeal to the most adult of us. They are fun to drive, but by no means playful.
Take Bentley, for instance. The British company is selling serious-looking and serious-behaving stuff like the Continental or Bentayga, and none of them are by any means toys. They are yachts on wheels made for grown-ups who no longer play, and only occasionally smile at a good joke.
Like most other luxury carmakers, Bentley too has an online shop where it sells stuff other than cars. We're talking mostly accessories like wallets and bags for both men and women, but also clothing. Again, serious stuff with nothing particularly fun about them.
There is a kids' gift section too, but up until this week the only things you could find there that were even remotely playful were a Ravensburger memory game and a pull-back toy shaped like the Continental GT3.
That, however, changed this week when Bentley introduced to the world the cheapest, cuddliest, and most playful objects it ever made: a quartet of teddy bears that are also properly accessorized. And each has its own name and specialty.
The leader of the four teddies, and also the most serious of the bunch (even angry-looking, if you really look at its face)), is the Special Edition Signature Bear. It wears a rather formal double-ribbon necktie in grey and green, but nothing else behind that.
The Engineer is the one wearing green overalls and a white cap. Designed as a sort of toy mechanic for the toy cars lying around in your house, it hides in its pocket three sewn-in felt mechanical tools: a spanner, screwdriver and a wrench.
The Heritage Racing Bear is the one dressed like an aviator. Ok, not really, as those garments (suedette helmet, racing goggles and a bomber jacket) are supposed to be a throwback to the Bentley boys from the 1920s and 1930s and their Le Mans exploits.
Last but not least comes the Cosy Knit, meant to be the baby of this new teddy family. It wears a knitted jumper and bobby hat with Bentley logos all around.
All four teddies are 40 cm (16 inches) tall. Despite being rather cheap for something Bentley makes, they are quite expensive for teddies: the carmaker is asking between £65 and £80 for one ($80 - $98) for one.
Bentley will probably have enough customers for these toys, especially given how Christmas is just around the corner, but I am willing to bet none of the teddies will end up displayed in the backs of Flying Spurs.
Like most other luxury carmakers, Bentley too has an online shop where it sells stuff other than cars. We're talking mostly accessories like wallets and bags for both men and women, but also clothing. Again, serious stuff with nothing particularly fun about them.
There is a kids' gift section too, but up until this week the only things you could find there that were even remotely playful were a Ravensburger memory game and a pull-back toy shaped like the Continental GT3.
That, however, changed this week when Bentley introduced to the world the cheapest, cuddliest, and most playful objects it ever made: a quartet of teddy bears that are also properly accessorized. And each has its own name and specialty.
The leader of the four teddies, and also the most serious of the bunch (even angry-looking, if you really look at its face)), is the Special Edition Signature Bear. It wears a rather formal double-ribbon necktie in grey and green, but nothing else behind that.
The Engineer is the one wearing green overalls and a white cap. Designed as a sort of toy mechanic for the toy cars lying around in your house, it hides in its pocket three sewn-in felt mechanical tools: a spanner, screwdriver and a wrench.
The Heritage Racing Bear is the one dressed like an aviator. Ok, not really, as those garments (suedette helmet, racing goggles and a bomber jacket) are supposed to be a throwback to the Bentley boys from the 1920s and 1930s and their Le Mans exploits.
Last but not least comes the Cosy Knit, meant to be the baby of this new teddy family. It wears a knitted jumper and bobby hat with Bentley logos all around.
All four teddies are 40 cm (16 inches) tall. Despite being rather cheap for something Bentley makes, they are quite expensive for teddies: the carmaker is asking between £65 and £80 for one ($80 - $98) for one.
Bentley will probably have enough customers for these toys, especially given how Christmas is just around the corner, but I am willing to bet none of the teddies will end up displayed in the backs of Flying Spurs.
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