The Dayton Hudson’s Santabear debuted in 1985. Conceived as part of a marketing campaign to encourage holiday shoppers to visit the stores, Santabear was designed by senior toy buyer Paul Starkey. The first Santabear sold over 400,000 bears in the first three days they appeared on shelves – a huge success. Over the years the Santabears line featured different outfits and stories, the introduction of supporting characters, including Bully Bear and Miss Bear, and a small series of books and animated holiday movies. The books were written by a copywriter on the marketing team, Barbara Read. The animated movies featured well-known voices like Kelly McGinnis, Bobby McFerrin, Dennis Hopper, and John Malkovich.

The Santabear toy series was retired in 2007. Santabear was reintroduced in 2022, as a limited edition and sold through a pop-up store in Minneapolis. They will be available again this year, though only in Minneapolis. Read on to meet some of the Santabears that are preserved as part of the Detroit Historical Society collection. An assortment is also on display through the end of 2023 in our Hudson's Holidays exhibition.

1985 - Scarf & Hat Bear

The first Santabear was sold as a promotional item by the Dayton Hudson Company as part of their 1985 holiday marketing campaign. Made of white polyester fiber with black plastic eyes and a black plastic nose, the teddy bear has a removable red, green, and white knit cap with white lettering that reads "Santabear," and a matching knit scarf with white snowball tassels on the ends. A white fabric tag on the underside has black text that shows the manufacturer's name, address, material description, and registration details.

1985

Detroit Historical Society collection

1987 - Aviator Bear

The 1987 Santabear has aviator's goggles and a cap made of simulated red leather with white lettering across the top that reads "Santabear." The bear also has a simulated red leather bomber-style jacket with a front zipper and a simulated sheepskin lining. The left jacket breast has an embroidered wings patch with text that reads "1987 Santabear." A white silk scarf with fringe ends is tied around the neck at the front. An attached price tag shows a bar code and a price of $30.00. The bear comes with a white plastic bag that is printed with a multi-color Santabear image on the outside and has a white drawstring at the top.

1987

Detroit Historical Society collection

1989 - Miss Bear

This 1989 Santabear "Miss Bear" is wearing a green knit headband with a red bow at the front. It also has a green knit sweater that has a decorative red and white pattern along the lower front edge and a red band at each cuff. A rectangular tag on the left front side of the sweater reads "Miss Bear." On the left cuff, a paper tag shows a price of $19.99. An adjacent multi-color tag advertises "Santabear and His Polar Club."

1989

Detroit Historical Society collection

1993 - Tourist Bear

The 1993 Santabear is going places! This bear is wearing a red fabric sun hat which has a multi-color headband with printed images of the flags of many countries of the world. Its matching red jacket is covered with multi-color print images of travel stickers from many countries. The bear also has a green nylon backpack with red text that reads "Santabear, 1993." A price tag in the amount of $35.00 is attached to the right shoulder along with an unopened clear plastic envelope that contains travel stickers and a Santabear "Passport" from the "North Pole." The bear comes with a white plastic bag that is printed with multi-color images of Santabear on the outside and has a white drawstring at the top.

Detroit Historical Society collection

1997 - Nutcracker Bear

The 1997 bear is wearing a Nutcracker style uniform which includes a red felt hat with a green plume, a black headband, a green satin visor, and an embroidered patch on the front with text that reads "Santabear, 1997." Also included is a red cloth jacket with a green satin collar, green cuffs, two decorative gold braid closures at the front, and a white belt with a brass buckle and white shoulder strap. A price tag in the amount of $37.50 is attached to the left ear. The bear comes with a white plastic bag that is printed with multi-color images of Santabear on the outside and has a white drawstring at the top.

1997

Detroit Historical Society collection

2004 - Ski Patrol Bear

The 2004 Santa Bear was sold by Marshall Field & Company (formerly Hudson's) as part of their 2004 Christmas holiday marketing campaign. It is wearing a red fleece fabric ski hat and clear plastic ski goggles as well as a green knit sweater with a sleeveless red nylon ski jacket with an embroidered patch on the left breast that reads "2004, Santabear Ski Patrol," and "Twenty Years." A paper tag on the left ear shows a price of $38.50. With its right hand, the bear is petting a small seated dog that has a red fleece bandanna around its neck. The bear comes with a white plastic bag that is printed with multi-color images of Santabear on the outside and has a white drawstring at the top.

2004

Detroit Historical Society collection

2005 - Scarf, Hat & Ornament Bear

2005's bear is wearing a multi-color striped knit hat with a red pom pom at the top and has a matching knit scarf wrapped around the neck. The year "2005" is shown in white text across the front of the hat. In its left paw, the bear is holding a shiny green round plastic ornament which has silver-colored text on the side that reads "MF&Co." for Marshall Field & Company (formerly Hudson's). A paper tag on the left ear shows a price of $25.00.

2005