Cuddly Carey bear sells for £60

A TEDDY BEAR modelled on the Archbishop of Canterbury has made it to the number-one spot in a list of ecclesiastical objects described as "The 12 Days of Kitschmas".

The satirical website Ship of Fools discovered the "Archbishop Bears" on sale in the Canterbury Cathedral bookshop for £59.95. Each bear is 35 centimetres high, has movable joints, wears glasses, and has robes made from altar-frontal material. The bears were designed by a Kent company from a photograph of Dr Carey, who received one as a gift last year.

A spokesman for the Cathedral shop said that the Carey bear was creating a lot of interest and had "a wide appeal", particularly with local people and bear collectors; but he said there had not been a particular rush of purchases by clergy.

Twelve "Archbishops" have been sold so far this Christmas. A range of other ecclesiastical bears is also on sale, including the Dean of Canterbury Bear, the Chorister Bear, and, at the cheaper end of the market, the Bishop and Verger Bear, both on sale for £29.95.

The spokesman said that the prices reflected that each bear had an individual set of robes with lined cloth. He said that "The vestments are all correct, given the constraints of manufacture."

Other items in the Ship of Fools' top 12 "gadgets for God" include a Virgin Mary fridge magnet set, a Mother Teresa barometer and a 12 Apostles beer mug.

The website says that all the items listed are on sale somewhere in the world. The manufacturing company Henwood of The Bayle, based in Folkestone, ventured into the bear market after supplying churches with liturgical items, including vestments and altar linens, for a number of years.