Artist Priscilla Hillman

Artist Priscilla Hillman discovered her unique creative talents when she was just a little girl. She and her twin sister, Greta, would spend countless hours drawing at the kitchen table, surrounded by papers and crayons. They would root through their aunt and uncle's attic, looking for special antique treasures. Afternoons in the family garden would become cherished memories, which Priscilla would later use for artistic inspiration.

 Although it was obvious Priscilla had many creative talents, she wouldn't pursue an artist's life for quite some time. In fact, she chose to attend the University of Rhode Island to study botany. After she graduated, Priscilla joined the U.S. Oceanographic Service where she worked as a marine biologist, but soon realized her first love was art.

 In the mid-1980s, Priscilla went to work as an illustrator of children's books. It was then that the most beloved teddie bear collection in the world, started to take form. Using her childhood memories and love of nostalgia as inspiration, Priscilla began to put on paper her visions of the sweet teddie bears. She submitted her drawings to Enesco and in 1992, what started as sketches on paper became the Cherished Teddies® collection, one of the most popular teddie bear collections ever.