Characters

When you go on a Binky Bear adventure trail you will meet many of the characters in the Binky Bear books because the characters are real. When you go on the London Binky Bear Trail you are very likely to meet Thunder or one of his colleagues and you are guaranteed to meet lots of squirrels. When you visit Alresford in Hampshire you will definitely meet the ducks. To find out more about all our characters and read about our history, scroll down and to see Binky Bear himself in action, watch our video.

Binky Bear

Binky lives with Katy and he is the little bear who likes adventures. He is curious about the world around him and he loves exploring. His favourite treat is a slice of cake, washed down with pink lemonade.

Katy

Katy is Binky’s owner. She loves going on days out with her family and she always takes Binky with her.

The Ducks

The ducks live by the river Arle in Hampshire and you can see them in Binky’s Big Adventure. During the day they paddle up and down the river and they regularly waddle along the path checking that no one is playing too close to the water’s edge.

Max the dog

Max is the Great Dane in Binky’s Big Adventure. Max goes out for a walk every day and when he is down by the river he keeps a keen eye on the water. He is very skilled at search and rescue and has pulled many sticks and balls out of the river. He once rescued a Teddy Bear! Max has a deep bark and he is gentle and kind.

The Swans

The swans are a delightful family who live on the River Arle. In the early morning you can find them on the river banks but during the day they silently glide up and down the river. You can meet the swans in Binky’s Big Adventure when they were very kind to poor Binky.

Squirt the dog

Squirt is a city dog and you can meet him in Binky’s Winchester adventure, Binky in Trouble. Squirt is particularly fond of looking through dustbins for tasty treats. He wears a mustard yellow scarf around his neck and he is one of Binky’s oldest friends.

Rudi

Rudi is a Royal Corgi and he works hard looking after Her Majesty the Queen. Most afternoons he has a few hours off and he likes to go and play in St James's Park but he must always be back in time for tea. You can meet Rudi in Binky Goes To London.

Bertie

Bertie is a very senior Royal Corgi and it is his job to make sure that all the junior Corgis do their jobs to the very highest standard. He knows Rudi likes to go off and play in the park during his afternoon break and he makes sure he’s back home in time for tea. You can meet Bertie in Binky Goes to London.

Thunder

Thunder lives in London and he has a very busy job being a guard at Horse Guard’s on Whitehall. He is very smartly turned out and must stand incredibly still for quite a few hours. He loves hearing the tourists say nice things about him and his rider. You can meet Thunder in Binky Goes To London.

Pelican

Pelican is proud to be descended from the Great White Pelicans who were a gift from the Russian Ambassador in 1664. He makes sure all the junior Pelicans know their heritage and he has developed a slight Russian accent, just enough to let people know he is not completely from around these parts. You can meet Pelican in Binky Goes To London.

Squirrel

Squirrel lives in a very tall tree in Green Park and she is very proud of her W1 address. She helps the tourists have a real London experience and she is very good at posing for photographs. Squirrel is particularly partial to unsalted peanuts. You can meet her in Binky Goes To London.

Owl

Owl lives in Winchester and during the day he makes sure that none of the local dogs, Squirt in particular, get into too much trouble. He makes a makes a lovely soft too-wit-too-woo sound. You can meet Owl in Binky in Trouble.

History

Where did Binky Bear come from? In Moira and Liz’s own words…

When people first hear about Binky Bear books they describe them as books about a teddy but what brings our fans back time and time again to buy more books and to share Binky with family and friends is what lies at the heart of each story.

Getting out and exploring…

We are passionate about getting children outdoors and helping adults have really positive shared experiences with the children in their lives. Each Binky book tells a local story about Binky in a real geographic location. In times when it is easy to get lost in screens we want to inspire families to get out, using the cute, take-out activity maps and the maps which are in the books, to have a great time together without spending a lot of money. So the magic from the day is the shared experience and the memories will last a lifetime.

Liz explains: “When my daughter was young, screens were coming in big time. As an only child it was not easy to persuade her that a country walk was better than watching another cartoon and many an outing was abandoned early with a bored child protesting loudly. Then I hit on an idea, if I made a trail of things to find when we were out, I only had to mention that I had a new trail planned and my daughter was ready with her wellies on and standing by the door.”

So it was in 2010 when we set about creating Binky Bear, we knew that by setting the books in real places, with photographic illustrations and maps to follow, we could create a fabulous story which was also the plan for a great family outing.

Connecting families

We both have close family overseas and we know personally that families and friends who live far apart love to feel that they share something in common. By knowing well a story about where their grandparents or family and friends live, with a map to trace with their finger, as they are read the story at bedtime, children understand more about other people’s lives and they feel connected with their wider family. This is how our families feel and we want other families to feel this connection too.