Christine Nicholls, joint founder and vice chair of Golden Bear, has announced her retirement from the company she co-founded with John Hales back in 1979.
Christine has had a long and distinguished career in the toy industry spending her first few years working with John at the Chad Valley Toy company before they set up Golden Bear together with the mission to make exciting high quality soft toys, with their first customers including Mothercare, Boots, BHS and Woolworths. All through those years Christine has been weaving her magic, first honed at Birmingham Art College where she gained a BA in Fashion & Textiles.
“Christine has been a driving force and influence as co-founder of Golden Bear and has blazed a path for women in the toy industry”
Christine said: “It has been a fantastic journey which John and myself embarked on over 46 years ago and we’ve had some good times and some challenging times, but we’ve always had lots of fun and feel very proud of the Golden Bear legacy. I’ve made some amazing friends in the toy industry, especially through working with the BTHA and look forward to keeping in touch with everyone at future events. I will always be passionate about creating toys and I’m privileged to have enjoyed such an illustrious career alongside the fantastic team at Golden Bear.”
The Golden Bear toys were designed and made in their own facility in Telford, England. Over time the business changed with their first foray into licensing occurring in 1985 with The Snowman. Since then, some of the most famous and recognisable pre-school licences have passed through Golden Bear such as Thomas the Tank Engine, Peppa Pig, In The Night Garden and most notably The Teletubbies in the 1990s which was one of the most successful licences of all time.
The company prospered under John and Christine’s leadership and was chosen as the Official Licensee for the 2012 Olympic Games which was one of Golden Bear’s proudest achievements.
Christine retires as an industry legend who won the BTHA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, the Progressive Pre-School Outstanding Achievement Award in 2016 and the Mojo Play Creators Outstanding Achievement Award in 2023. She continues as a Golden Bear shareholder and director. Christine will still represent the company in her role on the BTHA Council, a position she has held for over 20 years. During this time, she became the first female chairperson followed by the role of President.
Barry Hughes, Golden Bear MD, wished Christine a happy and fulfilling retirement. He said: “Christine has been a driving force and influence as co-founder of Golden Bear and has blazed a path for women in the toy industry. It has been my privilege and honour to work with her closely over the last 14 years. Her contribution to both Golden Bear and the toy industry has been a true inspiration and everyone at Golden Bear wishes Christine a long and happy retirement”
