MyPictureTeddyBear.com, a new online company based in Quincy, Mass. has taken the iconic stuffed animal to a new level. The company, whose motto is “hug a memory", creates custom-designed, collectible teddy bears wearing t-shirts printed with personalized pictures and text. The brains behind this new venture are long-time friends Priscilla Marotta, Ph.D. a clinical psychologist, and Angelina Moscato, an educator.

Inspiration for the business came from their experience in their respective fields. In their work with both children and adults, Marotta and Moscato see an unfulfilled need to celebrate relationships and memories, as well as universal “touch hunger". “Our bears are 10 on the huggable scale" says Dr. Marotta. With My Picture Teddy Bears, people can preserve memories, display photographs in a unique way, and cherish the special people in their lives.

My Picture Teddy Bear is also a new line of exciting collectible teddy bears, which have marked a huge trend over the past ten years. With the ability to personalize your bear, it provides multiple options for gift giving, including Valentine’s Day, birthday, as well as everyday giving. My Picture Teddy Bears are individually numbered and recorded in a registry. Teddy bears are an icon of Americana. The collectibles add a special touch. “Collectibles like teddy bears give us a sense of security in this fast paced, technological world", said Founder Dr. Priscilla Marotta.

Each year a new combination of bears will be introduced on www.MyPictureTeddyBear.com. “Tennyson" and “Tully" and are the first in the series. The bears are crafted with silky, medium-length fur and lifelike details such as paw pads. The Star Bears Collection is named to reflect that purchasing a bear makes someone a “star’. The collection will feature a pair of bears for each letter of the alphabet. The founders started with T to reflect the thirty years of their friendship.

This is a “feel good" company from the quality and personalization of the bears to the company’s commitment to donating to selected charities. A portion of each purchase, at no extra cost to the customer, is given to the selected charities. Two charities help domestic violent victims, Dove, Inc. and Women in Distress, another supports the health of women, National Women’s Health Network, Action Against Hunger is dedicated to eliminating hunger, Work-Life Balance Institute supports women in meeting their career goals, , and CureSearch is the world’s premier pediatric cancer research organization. These are six carefully selected charities that do outstanding work.

The personalized teddy bears appeal to people looking for unique gifts to give ---and mementos to keep---to commemorate special events such as a child’s first recital, leaving for college, weddings, and longstanding friendships. “My daughter was leaving for college, and I was down in the dumps. Imagine my delight when she surprised me with Tennyson and a picture of us together! The bear is so huggable; he brings a smile to my face. The soap is so cute and smells like honey! I use it every morning and it reminds me of my daughter."