14 DAY TRIAL // About 23 years ago, Huw and Jan Smith, a couple now living in Lancaster, UK, got into the habit of collecting teddy bears. They ended up owning well over 600 such plushy toys and say that they cannot even imagine life without them.
In case anyone was wondering what a pile of hundreds of teddy bears could look like, check out the photo gallery below. Be warned though: the sight of this many plushy toys nestled one on top of the other might prove too much to handle.
The couple bought their first teddy bear after they lost their pet dog, a Labrador named Biffer. Mind you, Huw and Jan Smith don't just buy plushy toys. They keep a detailed record of where each comes from and even have names for all of them.
The family's collection of teddy bears is estimated to be worth about £4,500 (about €6,300 / $6,600). Not willing to give up on any of them, the childless couple recently had to move to a bigger home, just to have enough room for them.
Huw and Jan Smith are the first to admit that their love for teddy bears might come across as odd. Still, they can't bring themselves to donate or sell at least some of their toys. Not when, following the death of their dog, teddy bears became some of their best companions.
“Our friends think we have more money than sense, but we love out bears so much. They are just incredibly well-loved bears. I think they all have such different beautiful faces,” Huw Smith said in an interview, as cited by DM.
