- Business
- The Boyds Collection, Ltd. (BYDC) designs, manufactures, imports, and distributes handcrafted collectible plush teddy bears, resin figurines, and specialty giftware products; its core offerings include fully jointed plush bears, hares, moose, cats, and other animals under the Boyds Bears brand, priced from $4 to $95 and featuring hand-embroidered details and custom fabrics; resin lines such as Bearstones, Folkstones (angels, faeries, santas, snowpeople), Dollstones (dolls, frogs, penguins), Wee Folkstones, Ribbit and Company frogs, and Tuxedo Gang penguins, retailing from $9 to $60 with authenticity markers like hidden bear paws; accessories including Bear Necessities furniture, doll stands, and themed items; and select ornaments, porcelain dolls, and home decor sold through independent gift retailers, department stores, catalogs, online channels, and previously operated Boyds Bear Country stores in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Founded in 1979 by Gary and Tina Lowenthal in Boyds, Maryland, and relocated to McSherrystown, Pennsylvania, near Gettysburg in 1987—with current addresses listed in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and Itasca, Illinois—the company targets collectors and gift buyers primarily in the United States via a network of 23,000 independent retailers and selective licensing partnerships, such as Bearstones images with Hallmark's Sunrise Stationery. Enesco acquired Boyds in 2008, placed the brand into hibernation in 2014 amid rising costs, and relaunched it in 2024 with a limited-edition collection of 12 new bears to celebrate the 45th anniversary, enabling direct-to-consumer pre-orders and a planned January 2025 wholesale launch at trade markets; the company maintains partial ownership ties to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, which holds a significant stake.