Practical information
Teddy Bear Art Museum is in the center of Billund within walking distance from Legoland, Lalandia, Lego House etc.
Opening hours
Teddy Bear Art Museum and Café Edith
Wednesday – Sunday 10-17
Christmas 23. -26. December - Closed.
27. - 29. December open 10 - 17.
Closed from 30. December and in January 2025
There is free access to Café Edith, Teddy shop, and Edith´s garden.
Prices
| Ticket |
|
| Entrance (12 years+) | DKK100 |
| Children (0-11 years), accompanied by an adult | Free |
Groups |
|
| Minimum 12 people. Price per person | DKK 80 |
Buy an annual pass and get a refund today's ticket |
|
| Annual card simple | |
| Valid for one adult | DKK 250 |
| Year card 1+1 | |
| Valid for one adult with companion. | DKK 450 |
Guided tour |
|
| The trip lasts approx. 45 minutes Tours must be booked in advance at: info@TeddyBearArtMuseum.dk |
DKK 600 |
Visit us
The Teddy Bear Art Museum is a house full of history and more than 1200 teddy bears. Please come and experience Gunhild Kirk Johansen’s large collection of unique teddy bears. Explore the universe of the teddy bears and see the many small exhibitions with teddy bears. Not only as toy but also as art.
As visitor to the Teddy Bear Art Museum, you get up close and personal to the origin of the teddy bear. The exhibitions show everything from modern teddy bears to artist teddy bears and teddy bears dating back to 1902, when it all began. The oldest teddy bear in the museum is a fine Steiff teddy bear from 1906.
The museum reflects the teddy bear's versatility in design and materials and conveys the teddy bear as an art form.
Experiences for everyone
At the teddy bear museum there are experiences for both children and adults.
Exhibition in beautiful surroundings
Here is architectural beauty as well as a beautiful garden of 10,512 sqm, to visit. The house, and the beautiful garden, are from 1959. The conversion has been carried out with the greatest possible respect for the original design. Take a walk in the atmospheric park filled with Edith Kirk Christiansen's favorite flowers and trees.
History of the house
The Teddy Bear Art Museum is in the LEGO family’s former private home built for the head of the company Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, his wife Edith and their three children: Gunhild, Kjeld and Hanne.
The house has been designed by architect Aage Bundgaard, Copenhagen. The family moved in on December 12th, 1959.
Many business relations from abroad visited LEGO, and as hotel conditions were modest, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen made very special demands on the house.
The idea behind the building was to create a house that could be used for representation under the auspices of LEGO but at the same time should be cozy/nice to live in for a family. Many drafts were built in Lego bricks before both the builder and the architect were satisfied.
The central point of the house was an atrium courtyard (now workshop and office), which provides sun and light to the rest of the house.
The renovation in 2016-18 and transforming from private home to museum has been carried out with the greatest possible respect for the original design of the house.
Teddy Shop
Ticket sale and teddy bear shop with a wide collection of teddy bears and fun teddy-related items. In addition, a Teddy bear making shop with everything you need to sew your own teddy bear.
We have, among other things, cute and soft teddy bears from Jelly Cat and Steiff. We also sell large and small collector’s teddy bears in limited editions from Steiff, Teddy Hermann and Clemens Spielwaren.
Do you want to buy unique artist teddy bears – we have a fine selection from both Danish and foreign artists. In the Teddy Shop you also can buy the worldwide famous red Steiff Teddy Bear “Alfonzo” replica.
In Teddy Shop you will find a large selection of clothes for Muffy. The clothes and other equipment were designed for Muffy VanderBear. The Teddy Bear Art Museum took over the remnant stock of the VanderBear family’s fantastic clothing which are now sold exclusively in Teddy Shop.
In our teddy bear making shop you will find everything you need to sew your own teddy bear. We have a large collection of mohair, alpaca, silk and viscose fabric, special tools, joints, discs, sewing thread, filling material and handmade glass eyes. In the shop you also find teddy bear patterns and sewing instructions.
If you have any questions about your teddy bear sewing project, we are always ready to help and guide. If you have bought sewing materials in our shop, feel free to join our "sew on your teddy bear workshops" where we help and inspire each other with tips and tricks and enjoy ourselves together with our teddy bear project.
We also offer weekend courses where you can learn to sew your own teddy bear from scratch.
Café Edith
Café Edith is located at the museum entrance, it is bright and nice. Here you can enjoy a refreshment, a nice cup of coffee or tea, homemade cake, or a delicious lunch. Enjoy it with a view of the beautiful garden through the large windows. Weather permitting it, it is possible to enjoy your food on the terrace.
In Café Edith you can celebrate your birthday, family gathering etc. During opening hours, the café will also be open for other guests of the house. We also offer brunch in a weekend in almost every month of the year.
Please contact us for further information.
During the year, smaller events are held in the café, for example singing evenings, fashion shows and writher visits. Please follow along on our website, Instagram, and Facebook.
Edith’s garden
The house is surrounded by a magnificent park-like garden and is a flowering oasis in the center of Billund. The 10,512 m2 big garden was laid out in 1960 by gardener and garden architect Egon Lauritzen in close cooperation with Edith Kirk Christiansen.
To this day the garden reflects Edith Kirk Christiansen’s great love of flowers and colors. The garden is always open - there is free entrance - and it is always worth a visit.
In 1959 Egon Lauritzen was offered the position as gardener for Edith and Godtfreds private garden. Egon Lauritzen planted many rhododendron bushes. On Edith’s birthday May 29th these bushes are - to this day - in full bloom and are a true color. He also planted many perennials in the garden because Edith loved flowers and wanted flowers to pick from. She loved colors as purple, blue and turquoise and loved white roses, lathyrus and dahlias.
Exhibitions
Historical exhibition
The first teddy bears in the world were designed about 1902 by Margarete Steiffs nephew Richard Steiff from Giengen an der Brenz in Germany – and Morris Michtom from New York.
The story from both countries appears in a brightly colored cartoon, illustrated by the Argentinian Illustrator Alejandro O’kiff. The exhibition also displays two fantastic teddy bears designed and sewed by the international acclaimed Dutch teddy bear artist Anna Koetse.
In this exhibition we also have the eldest teddy bear in the museum, a Steiff Teddy bear from about1906-07.
Since then, many teddy bear manufacturers have joined the market. Our overview map shows some of them and in the showcases, we show selected copies from different manufacturers.
Hans Christian Andersen, Fairy Tale Teddy Bears
In the museum's special exhibition, you can see Vivi-Ann Lennartz's fairy tale teddy bears.
As the very talented teddy bear artist she is, she has created the characters from 12 carefully selected well-known Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales as teddy bears.
These fairytale teddy bears were created in 2005 for the exhibition at Aros, the 200th anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen's birth. The teddy bears otherwise live in Skagen but are kindly lent to us by Skagen Bamsemuseum.
VanderBear
At the Teddy Bear Art Museum, you'll find the world's largest private collection of the VanderBear teddy bear family. This fine collection belongs to Gunhild Kirk Johansen, the owner of the Teddy Bear Museum in Billund. Gunhild fell for the teddy bear family's wonderful equipment and unique universe and therefore began collecting Muffy, her family and their fine equipment in 2005. To this day, Gunhild is still an enthusiastic VanderBear collector, and the collection continues to be supplemented.
The VanderBear family was designed in 1983. Barbara Eisenberg needed a gift for her son and when she couldn't find anything to her liking, she created the VanderBear teddy bear family.
The VanderBear family consists of father Cornelius, mother Alice, twins Fuzzy (boy) and Fluffy (girl). It wasn't until the following year that little sister Muffy was born. Muffy later became the teddy bear that received the most attention. In the exhibition you will also meet Muffy's best friend Hoppy and a bunch of their good animal friends.
The father Cornelius firmly believes that "Clothes make teddy bears", therefore Muffy and her family are always well-dressed. The quirky VanderBear clothing and accessories are designed with a mix of humor, creativity, and historical details.
Barbara Eisenberg founded the North American Bear Company in 1982. VanderBear production ceased in 2001.
The Teddy Bear Art Museum has purchased the remaining VanderBear inventory, and items from it are now sold exclusively in the museum's store.
Alfonzo
Alfonzo is probably the world's most famous teddy bear. He is a rare red Steiff teddy bear from 1908. The Russian Princess Xenia, whose mother was a Danish princess, received him as a Christmas present from her father, Grand Duke Georg Mikhailovich. Since then, he has experienced a lot and now he has a new home at the Teddy Bear Art Museum.
Immerse yourself in the incredible and poignant history of the teddy bear that took him from Russia to Buckingham Palace, Long Island, Teddy Bears of Witney and now to the "royal surroundings" of the Teddy Bear Art Museum in Billund, Denmark.
In Teddy Shop you can buy a limited and numbered reproduction of Alfonzo, made in collaboration with Steiff Germany.
Artist Teddy Bears
At the Teddy Bear Museum, you can see artist teddy bears created by teddy bear artists from all over the world. In the exhibition, very special unique teddy bears are shown, each with its own expression and history. This exhibition shows that teddy bears are not only toys, but also art.
The exhibition shows artist teddy bears from more than 27 countries.
Edith’s living room
In "Edith's living room" you get the feeling of being back in the time when the house was home to the LEGO family. The room has been Edith's sewing room and the furniture and interior are originally from this room. The space reflects Edith's passion for collecting everything from antiques and dolls to Christmas spoons and glossy pictures.
Edith's living room is a small, time warp with many exciting details. The green walls of the room are painted in the same color as it was originally. The curtains are the original ones.
Edith embroidered the bell string on one of the walls in 1959, the same year she and Godtfred moved into the house.
The tableaux exhibition
At the Teddy Bear Museum, you will find a fascinating tableau exhibition that shows teddy bears in their daily chores and in various funny situations. Like the rest of us, teddy bears have a lot to do in a day. See teddy bears gardening, picnicking, in a china shop, circus and much more. The scenes are created with imagination and twinkle in the eye.
Café Edith
Café Edith offers lunch, coffee, and cake as well as cold drinks.
Lunch
| Stjerneskud open sandwich w/ pan-fried fish, salmon and shrimps |
169, - |
|
Salmon Sandwich |
109, - |
| Club Sandwich w/chicken, bacon, tomato, salad and curry dressing in delicious baguettes |
109, - |
|
Salad with salmon, |
109, - |
|
Salad with chicken, |
109, - |
| Open sandwiches with shrimps | 109, - |
|
2 Frikadeller/ meatballs |
59, - |
The sweet for the coffee
|
Homemade bun |
25,-/45,- |
|
Belgian waffle |
55,- |
| Cake of the day or Rye bread layer cake | 35,-/45,- |
Beverages
The café has a good selection of cold and hot drinks
Anton's Juice, Soft drinks, Milkshake, beer, white and red wine
Coffee, Caffé Latte, Cappuccino, Chai Latte, tea, hot chocolate
Selected weekends
Weekend Brunch in Café Edith
Dates for 2025 coming soon
Buffet from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm:
*Scrambled eggs, bacon, and brunch sausages
*Warm pate w/champignons
*Smoked salmon
*Cold cuts w/vegetable snacks
*Cheeses w/ bell peppers and grapes
*Jam
*Yogurt w/crunch
*Pancakes w/syrup
*Fruit and pastry
*Whole grain bread, and rye bread
*Coffee, tea, and juice ad libitum
Price per person incl. admission to the teddy bear museum - DKK 239, -
(Children 2-11 years - DKK 120, -)
TABLE RESERVATION REQUIRED
info@teddybearartmuseum.dk or +45 75 33 18 45
In Café Edith you can have birthdays, family gatherings, etc.
During opening hours, the café will also be open to the other guests of the house.
Contact us for further information.
Contact
Opening hours
Wednesday – Sunday 10 – 17
Contact us:
info@teddybearartmuseum.dk
+45 75 33 18 45
