Bad Taste Bears have a potted history in the North East of England.

They were originally marketed by Newcastle based Piranha Studios and later by Team Valley based OddCo. The series has since become (in)famous worldwide.

Peter Underhill, a designer from Coventry, came up with the concept in the mid 1990s. His sketches were picked up by Piranha Studios in 1999 when the first Bad Taste Bear was born.

The range began with just six figurines on sale in the Gadget Shop – at this stage the bears were being hand-cast and painted by home workers in Newcastle upon Tyne.

OddCo acquired Piranha Studios in 2008 and ceased trading in 2015.

The original Piranha Studios and OddCo series of Bad Taste Bears are now all retired and many are highly collectable. They are presented here as a pre-owned collection.

Bad Taste Bears, as the name suggests, are not for everyone. Discretion advised.