About Us
Because Sometimes, We all need someone to talk to
Who are we?
Imagine for a moment a beautiful, intelligent, professional woman who is going through an extremely hard and traumatic period of her life. We´ve all been there, all experienced pain, heartbreak, loss, sadness, or depression; wondering where the hope and happiness have goneThis woman was Jo Proud and in 2019 her emotional life was in a mess. Jo sat one evening and drew a picture of a bear…a teddy bear…yellow and fluffy and with happy faces on its paws. She decided to get this one bear made professionally, for herself, and when it finally arrived it made her smile for the first time in a long time.The bear was Happy Bear, the original Mood Bear and from that moment on Jo´s life changed direction and Moodbears.co.uk was born.Since that moment in 2019, and despite a global pandemic, Jo made her fledgling company grow, with the help of her assistant Dani, from one single bear, to five different Mood Bears; Happy Bear, Sad Bear, Nervous Bear, Love Bear and Silly Bear.
First sketched and then brought to life in 2019 the Mood Bears have been on a journey of growth and development and have already been able to support thousands of children and adults across the globe. Mood Bears are not just a cuddly toy. They have been specifically designed to support mental health and wellbeing, and allow children, and adults, to express themselves when words fail them. They are not just a fun way to support children and adults as they negotiate all manner of emotions and feelings but they have also become a tool that can be used to teach and educate children, and adults, about emotions, feelings, and moods. Not everyone has the learning or language abilities to express themselves vocally, but by using the bears with their recognisable colours and symbols we can facilitate communication and emotional expression.
The Mood Bears were originally created to support children and adults who may struggle to understand or communicate their emotions. The bears have grown to be so much more than this and even if you do have the capacity to express how you feel, sometimes it is just too difficult to talk, sometimes you just need a hug and some silent support. There are now 8 Bears in total, each one representing a different feeling, emotion, or mood:
Each bear has been designed to represent one key emotion or mood and has the symbol for that mood embroidered on its feet.
The bears are all brightly coloured and are made of a soft material making them perfect for children to recognise, associate with, and cuddle to help them express themselves. Children, and even adults, often don’t have the words to express how they feel, this is where the Mood Bears can help, not only can they provide comfort but they can also provide a means to communication. Allowing children to select the bear that most represents how they feel that day can show to others what they are going through.
Mood Bears are currently used by several healthcare teams including Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Leicester Royal Infirmary, and the Leicester Community Nurse Team, they have each recognised the invaluable support that the bears can bring. As the NSPCC and Childline both report an increase in cases of stress and anxiety in young children, it is imperative that we find a way to support them. Mood Bears can provide that support.
