It seems like just about every house in Metro Detroit back in the day had a few of the Santa Bears from Hudson’s that would make their way out during the holiday season.
The white fluffy stuffed animal bears were sold at Hudson’s department stores in the late ‘80s and ‘90s, and they were a must-have during the holiday season. Each year, a different Santa Bear was released. It was like collecting Pokemon before Pokemon was ever a thing. You had to catch them all!
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The Santa Bears were a must-have when they were first released to Hudson stores in 1985, and to keep customers coming back, the department store decided to make a different Santa Bear each year. Like I said, they became collectable that were displayed in Metro Detroit homes every year during Christmas.
They had adorable hats, fuzzy scarfs and I specially remember one Santa Bear that had aviation goggles, like it was ready to take flight. The nostalgia is almost too much to handle! It’s even so much that the Santa Bears are being brought up in local Gen X Facebook groups, asking members if they remember these special bears.
Every Christmas, my mom used to bust out the Santa Bears that she bought back in the day out for the holidays, and it got me thinking if other families still bring out their Santa Bears when the holidays come around. Do you have Santa Bears? We want to see them!
Submit a photo to MiPics of your Santa Bears for everyone to see! All you have to do is click the link here, and submit your photo. You’ll even be able to browse other holiday photos of Santa Bears.
I even looked up how much old Santa Bears are worth now, and the findings may surprise you. You can read the article here.
If you don’t have Santa Bears anymore, don’t worry! The Detroit Historical Museum is stirring up some Christmas cheer with a pop-up exhibit celebrating Christmas at Hudson’s. The exhibit features a Christmas tree of Santa Bears, which will surely bring back memories for Detroiters who frequented Hudson’s when it was alive and well.
You can see the pop-up exhibit for free on Sundays during the month of December.