The adventures of Tedis the teddy bear

The adventures of Tedis the teddy bear - Through the Lens of Hidden Treasures

Hidden in plain sight, are treasures that can tell us interesting stories about the past.

Tedis is a very special teddy bear who has lived a very long life full of courage, adventure and travel. He belonged to a little girl called Anita Caune from Latvia who had a large collection of teddy bears to play with.

When Anita was 10 years old, there was a war in her country. She had to leave Latvia with her parents and go somewhere safe to live. On October 3rd 1944, Anita and her family left the Port of Rīga, to immigrate to Germany. Anita could choose only one teddy bear from her collection - she chose Tedis to go with her on their brave adventure.

Anita and Tedis lived together in several German refugee camps until they went on another adventure and moved to the USA in January 1951.Tedis and Anita were very courageous and went to America on a big ship with her family. After a long trip, they arrived in New York and continued their journey by train, all the way to Washington where they lived for many years.

When Anita grew up, she had her own children, including a daughter called Vita. Anita decided to give her special teddy bear Tedis, to her children to them in difficult times, the same way he helped her when she was a child.

Vita Tērauda was a brave girl who travelled to Germany to attend Munster Gymnasium.

She was nervous, but Tedis had a lot of experience at travelling, so she decided to bring him on her big trip.

Tedis’s coat shows us that he has had a long life of travel, bravery and courage! He helped Anita and Vita through some challenging times and reminded them to be strong.

They were very strong indeed! When she grew up, Tedis’s owner Anita Tērauda (née Caune) became the Secretary-General of the American Latvian Association. His second owner, Vita, became Latvia’s Reform Minister in 1994, and was one of the first women to serve as a Cabinet Minister in Latvia.

The event

Come along and hear Tedis’s story of adventure as told by his new owner Vita Tērauda.

This event is perfect for families. Especially those with children aged 10+.

Through the eyes of Tedis, Vita will share experiences of emigration, war, refugee camps, travel and bravery.  Afterwards there will be an opportunity to ask her some questions.

Children are encouraged to bring along their own teddy or a special object that has helped them be brave. Or one that has an interesting story to tell.

Share the story of a hidden treasure, or your experience of bravery, on the memory wall.

After the talk, there will be a special self-guided Hidden Treasures Trail throughout the museum for families to explore together.

This is a fun adventure to help children learn more about the hidden treasures in our collection and to help them recognise some of the hidden treasures in their own lives.

Families can take part in numerous activities along the trail that help to illustrate how “one person's trash can be another person's treasure”.

Register now for this hybrid event

The timeline

13:00-13:30 “The Story of Tedis” by Vita Tērauda (EN)

13:30-14:00 Q&A - Chat and ask Vita questions (EN)

14:00 onwards: Self-guided “Hidden Treasure Trail” around the museum (EN/FR/NL)