Amy joins furry bad taste crew; Singer bearly out of rehab for toy firm.

Byline: Paul James Chief Reporter

TROUBLED pop star Amy Winehouse is the latest famous name to be immortalised by a controversial North East teddy bear firm.

The singer, famous for her hits Rehab and Back to Black, is instantly recognisable in hot pants, high heels, heavy eyeliner and trademark beehive hairstyle.

And the Bad Taste Bears firm has also given her a collection of accessories, including a cigarette and syringe in her hair and a prominent 'Coke' tattoo on her arm.

She joins the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Bob Marley and Elvis, who have all previously been turned into teddies by the Newcastle company, which has just celebrated its 10th birthday.

John Wright, managing director of the Bad Taste Bears company, said: "Amy will be joining a number of other musical tributes in our range, which are all designed to raise a cheeky smile.

"She has thick eyeliner and a tall beehive, pinned back with a syringe and cigarette, while showing off a suggestive 'Coke' tattoo and singing into a microphone."

According to the firm's publicity the singer is 'Bearly out of Rehab'.

The Bad Taste Bears collection was created by illustrator and graphic designer Peter Underhill after a weekend designing a range of cute and cuddly bears for children's pyjamas. His creations were discovered by John Wright in 1998 and the Bad Taste Bears company was born.

Yesterday Peter told The Journal he had no idea when he first started drawing the bears that they would become a multi-million-pound industry with collectors across the world.

The most controversial of his 200 creations include a collection of 'porn-star'bears and Christian, a bear wearing a crown of thorns and carrying a wooden cross.

Others include Henry, which was banned from sale after a complaint from the manufacturers of the smiling vacuum cleaners that their product was being misrepresented.

Peter said: "We try to avoid anything that is too inflammatory. We never really want to be associated with offending anybody.

"The words I like to use are emotional ambush. The highlights for me aren't individual bears. When you can stop cynical businesspeople in their tracks.and have them laugh and point, that shows it's clearly working."

ONLINE

To see more pictures of other bad taste bears, go to www.journallive.co.uk

TROUBLED PETE DOHERTY WILL NEVER BE A BEAR

BAD taste bear designer Peter Underhill yesterday said Amy Winehouse, pictured, was well-suited to be his latest creation.

But he said pop bad boy Pete Doherty would not be joining her in his colle ction.

Other celebrities from song and screen to have become bears include Marilyn Monroe, Indiana Jones, Hannibal Lecter, Dracula, Elvis Presley, Freddie Krueger and Gordon Ramsay.

But Peter said the Babyshambles singer would not become a bear.

He said: "To make a parody of Pete Doherty as a bear - he's ordinary - the only physical things you can take are a pork pie hat and bad skin.

"But with Amy there are landmarks you can use. There are celebrities I would like to parody but they don't look interesting enough.

"It's not like I dislike them - Amy is a great artist."

CAPTION(S):

AXEMAN A bad taste bear executioner; CONTROVERSIAL A bad taste bear nun showing stockings and the devil; BEARLY OUT OF REHAB Amy Winehouse's bad taste bear creation has the singer's trademark beehive, hot pants and high heels.