Teddy Bear World - general information

The attraction is more varied than the name belies — perhaps the result of cultural translation — as the self-proclaimed “Teddy Bear Museum” presents itself as the first Teddy Bear World franchise to open outside of Korea.

Occupying the former Planet Hollywood space, the museum is broken down into sections:

The 8 Wonders of America has 11 dioramas of animatronic bears depicting the unlikely lineup of New York, Mt. Rushmore, the Rocky Mountains, NASA, San Francisco, Hollywood, Sports and Washington, D.C.

Dinosaur Park features relatively realistic moving dinosaurs interacting with quirky bears.

Save the Planet mixes facts about endangered bear species on digital posters and adorable scenes of the at-risk bears cavorting.

The Teddy Bear Museum section begins with the tale of the teddy bear’s namesake, Theodore Roosevelt, and continues to include tales of bears significant to historical events, such as the teddy created for the families of those lost on the Titanic. There is also a display of antique bears, ranging from a 1905 mohair bear to more recent ones, such as Teddy Ruxpin, the Care Bears and Yogi Bear. The museum area also features famous paintings with 3-D bear faces popping out from the canvases. (The “Mona Lisa” is decidedly more kid-friendly than the rendition of Edvard Munich’s “The Scream.”)

The self-guided tour ends with an undersea scene that leads to some oversized bears — Obama bear, sumo bear and surfer bear — poised for photo ops. This leads to the Elvis theater, where film clips of Elvis in Hawaii are combined with dancing and lip-synching bears and flashing lights, for a seven-minute show.

It works in South Korea - will it work in Waikiki? A new stuffed-animal themed museum called Teddy Bear World Hawaii threw open its doors this month for a grand opening. JS&F, a toy manufacturer, resort and theme park operator based in Korea, is behind this entertainment and retail operation at the two-story space formerly occupied by Planet Hollywood Restaurant in the Bank of Hawaii Waikiki Center.

The 18,000-square-foot space leads visitors through a series of exhibits, all featuring teddy bears arranged in historic scenes, eras, costumes, and themes. Most of the bears are animatronic, and at least one attraction is interactive- the Barack Obama bear has a chair where people can sit and pose with the President.

The store commissioned artist Beverly White to craft several life-sized bears: a sumo bear, the aforementioned Obama bear, and a surfer bear. She says it would normally take a month to complete one bear, whose frame is secured by PVC piping and then given shape by putting stuffing around it.

Teddy Bear World Hawaii, the first U.S venture for South Korea-based JS&F, is on schedule to hold its grand opening on Nov. 6. The two-story, 17,000 square-foot teddy bear-themed attraction is located at the former Waikiki Planet Hollywood location on Kalakaua Avenue.

JS&F also owns and operates The Teddy Bear Theme Park and Museum on South Korea’s Jeju Island, which attracts 700,000 visitors per year.