Grandfather the Bear

Grandfather is a bear Ty sold only through its own online store. He was introduced together with Grandmother on 3 August 2004 for National Grandparents Day, and the pair had a short run, retiring together about five weeks later on 8 September.

The holiday goes back to a proclamation by President Jimmy Carter in 1978, marking the first Sunday after Labor Day every year. The idea came from Marian McQuade, a woman in Fayette County, West Virginia, who wanted a day set aside to help lonely seniors in nursing homes.