Preparatory Schools Boarding: Teddies
Figure 1.--This boy had a friendly looking gorilla for his teddy. It was very common for boys to have one or two small teddy bears or similar up to about 10 years old. It was also common for boys right through to leaving the sixth-form to have "mascots" (ie teddy bears etc) with no comment being made. These were normally teddies that the boys had as younger boys and held on to them. The fact that they felt safe in doing this speaks volumes about the atmosphere at the schools.
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Then there are teddies, often called mascots. The children in virtually all schools had teddies. This was not the case in earlier times. Even very young boys bringing their teddies to school with them would be teased. We are not entirely sure when attitudes toward the teddies began to change. We suspect in the 1970s at the same time that boarding arrangements began to change. Thus the dormitories have become more inviting living spaces for the children. This varies quite a bit, however, from school to school. Most beds were covered with duvets and populated with cherished teddies. We say teddies, but actual teddies were relatively rare. Rather we saw an array of animals that would do a zoological park proud. It was very common for boys to have one or two small teddy bears or similar up to about 10 years old. It was also common for boys right through to leaving the sixth-form to have "mascots" (ie teddy bears etc) with no comment being made. These were normally teddies that the boys had as younger boys and held on to them. The boys spent several years with these teddies, a rare link with home. Yes even for the older boys there was an attachment. The fact that they felt safe in doing this speaks volumes about the atmosphere at the schools.
