Inside the job of the designer at Vermont Teddy Bear in Shelburne

SHELBURNE ― Despite producing about 200,000 stuffed animals per year, the Shelburne-based Vermont Teddy Bear Company has but one designer: Cassandra Clayton.

Clayton has been the designer at Vermont Teddy Bear for over seven years. Her stuffed animals designs include mermaid bears, witch bears, Santa Claus bears, sharks, giraffes, and octopi.

"Any magical creature, any animal in the animal kingdom, I feel like I've designed at some point," Clayton laughed.

While her job is often fun and lighthearted, Clayton recognizes how important a toy companion can be for a child, and is serious about crafting the best stuffed animal that she can.

Clayton's process starts with research: figuring out with her team what animals, themes, and characters are trending on the internet. Fan input is also an important factor in determining what Clayton will design next. She then gets to sketching − drawing out design concepts on paper or her tablet.

Once Clayton finalizes a design, she brings that design to her production and sourcing teams to figure out the right materials, size, and feel for the stuffed animal.

"Something that's really important about teddy bears is, do they give a good hug?" Clayton said with a laugh. "We take a lot of time to make sure that it is the perfect weight, it's the perfect size, it has the perfect amount of softness and squishiness."

To bring a two-dimensional sketch to three-dimensional life, the product development team goes through multiple rounds of prototyping to determine the best color, texture, fabric, and more for the stuffed animal.

Finally, when the design is good to go, it is handcrafted by the bear assemblers at the Vermont Teddy Bear factory in Shelburne.

While many of Clayton's designs are whimsical and simply just cute, like a bear in a pink hooded onesie or a fuzzy panda bear, some designs are intended to address specific issues that some children are facing.

One of Clayton's favorites is the bear she designed to benefit the Amputee Coalition of America, a nonprofit organization for amputees that receives 20% of the proceeds from each sale. The bear is custom-made to reflect the specific limb loss or limb difference that a child has.

"It really opened my eyes to the fact that you can do so much good with a toy, with a stuffed animal," Clayton said.

Clayton has also collaborated with the nonprofit American Heart Association to create a teddy bear with heart surgery scars for children who have undergone heart surgery.

"One of the best parts of my job is to hear all from the bear fans what they do with their stuffed animals," Clayton said. "It's amazing the diversity of stories, from just simply, 'I love it,' to 'This bear sat with me during every chemo treatment I went to.'"

Contact April Fisher at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter: @AMFisherMedia