Favorite part of work is the stories behind each toy; The teddy bear doctor stitches together the memories too

Whether it was an overzealous child, a close encounter with a dog, or just too much loving, there’s no damage that she can’t fix. Ruth Hasman has repaired hundreds of stuffed animals over the years since she retired. “From a mass-produced Spongebob Squarepants to a 115-year-old, hand-sewn bear cuddled through 5 generations”, Hasman says her favorite part of work is the stories behind each toy.

She’s made every kind of repair on a stuffed animal you can think of, from reattaching eyes, limbs, and heads, to ‘fur grafts,’ to stitch-ups, stuffing transplants, and even voice box repair. If she doesn’t have the material on hand—because it’s the wrong texture or colour, she will search local thrift shops until she finds a “donor.”

She’s currently training an orderly to take over the work when her fingers have lost their dexterity, but for now she’s going to keep the operating theater open, since the stories behind each and every bear, dog, monkey, and elephant just “pulls her heart.”