SD woman holds record for largest bear collection

11:54 AM, Jul 31, 2012   |    comments
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HILL CITY, S.D. - As a child growing up in foster care in Minnesota, Jackie Miley never had that most quintessential childhood toy: the teddy bear.

But today, the 63-year-old resident of Hill City, S.D., is making up for that - and then some. With 7,790 teddy bears, Miley holds the Guinness World Record for largest teddy bear collection.

Her collection is housed in a small home along Main Street in Hill City, a town of fewer than 800 people in western South Dakota's Black Hills. Teddy Bear Town is filled to the brim with every type and size of teddy bear imaginable - Beanie Baby teddy bears, the talking Teddy Ruxpin bear and porcelain teddy bears. Visitors are invited to admire the collection and buy souvenirs at a teddy bear-themed gift shop.

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