In 1981, a man named John Sortino that would create the Vermont Teddy Bears. Creating his company would always be easy, he hit one obstacle after another. At first he couldn't find anyone willing to put his bears in their stores, in the end he decided to sell them on his own in the streets. He'd stroll up and down the roads with his little push-cart full of teddy bears, proudly showing them off to anyone that came near. Eventually Sortino would have no problem finding a business to carry his line of products.

This company actually makes all of their teddy bears by hand, which means they are not machine made like many in the field. Each bear is made piece by piece, the nose, ears, legs and arms are all sewn on to the bear, one stitch at a time. With over 500,000 teddy bears a year the Vermont Teddy Bear Company is the world's largest manufacturer. Not a single bear is the same as the next, which makes them worth the cost.

The company has two factories, one in Shelbourne which is a tour factory and the other produces toys every day in Newport. Thousands of tourists come through Vermont every year and always have to make a stop in Shelbourne just to go on the Vermont Teddy Bears Tour. During the tour the guests are able to create their very own teddy bears.

The Vermont Teddy Bears no longer have to restrict its business to locals, now they mail out there orders all around the world. With the internet, more people are finding out about their teddy bears and wanting to send them to a loved one. There are a ton of bears to choose from and even special occasion bears, which are perfect for that end of the year graduation. Don't forget about the Bear-Gram, which they've become famous for. You'll get a Teddy bear, gourmet chocolate and a letter on a card.