Once upon a time there was a great blue blooded bear named Alexander, the Bearon von Funck* who lived in Siberia on the Russian Steppes (hence the blue blood, the temperature goes to -50 degrees there). One day the Bearon attended the Moscow ballet and fell in love with the prima ballerina, the beautiful Natasha. She returned his love and they married. This portrait shows the Bearon in his tuxedo and fur coat, ready for a night at the opera. Natasha is wearing her ballet dress and ballet slippers and her feet are placed in a plie. They are portrayed in black, white and gray in keeping with the nature of older photographs. This portrait is also reminiscent of a wedding photo.

The Bearon eventually decided it was just too cold in Siberia and emigrated south and settled his family in the forest near Riga, Latvia. As the years passed, the Bearon's family prospered and his decendents traveled and settled around the world in many countries. Somewhere along the way, the family dropped the "von" from their name and are now called simply the Funcky Bear Family. These Funcky bears hail from all walks of life and come in a rainbow of colours, depending on which branch of the family they belong to, since they have adapted admirably to their new environments. There is some variations in sizes although the average Funcky Bear is about 7" tall. Distant cousins of course, tend to be smaller, because they are farther away and we all know that every thing is smaller when viewed from a distance.

Over the years, other animals joined the family. Ellie the elephant was a performer in the Moscow Circus where she met a member of the Funcky Bear Family who had joined the circus to become a dancing bear. As fate would have it, they fell in love, and eventually married. And this is how elephants became part of the Funcky Bear Family. Since then other types of critters have joined the family including horses, lions and bunnies.

*Footnote: I have used a play on the name of my actual great Grandfather Baron Alexander von Funck (on my father's side) who lived near Riga, Latvia in the late 1800's. He is probably spinning in his grave over the use of his name in such a frivolous manner. However, my father has given me his blessings to use our old family name for my Funcky Bears.