TEDDY – the small BEAR table top mixer with a capacity of 5 litres – has been selected to join the new permanent exhibition of the most innovative, attractive and surprising designs of the 21st century on display at Designmuseum Danmark.
TEDDY entered the world in 2003. The task presented to designer Henrik Jeppesen and his colleagues had been to design a professional food mixer whose functionality and quality could win the battle against the small retail mixers and take the number two machine spot at bakeries and restaurants worldwide.
Design as part of operation
After studying users for several months, it became clear to the designers that an attractive and stylish appearance was very important to the restaurants, where the machine was often visible to customers due to the new open kitchens that had become popular in the late 1990s – unlike at the bakeries, where the small mixer would often be placed in a corner.
“That’s why we needed to come up with a machine that didn’t just look good. It also had to be possible to operate it from both sides – no matter where it was kept,” explains Henrik Jeppesen. “That’s why we gave it such a large and very simple control knob. The knob is continuous as well as being the focal point when the mixer unit is tilted back. The tilting action doesn’t expose any gaps that might make cleaning difficult either.”
Easy to clean, please!
The user observations demonstrated that it was essential for the mixer to be seen as easy to clean. And this is why TEDDY has rounded corners and the bowl is kept in place by three ‘toadstool’ indentations instead of the traditional screw solution, which is usually difficult to clean.
The machine has no external screws at all, with a body cast in stainless steel and a top made from cast aluminium. As a result the designers have had great freedom, allowing them to combine a design that features some of the slightly harsh lines, for which the BEAR mixers are well-known, with a softer and wider base, so it is clear that the machine is stable.
But what should it sound like?
The mixer must be quiet, but still emit a proper, confidence-inspiring sound. “Like the ones we associate with luxury cars,” says Henrik Jeppesen as a comparison: “The engine has to purr and the doors click shut with conviction. You’ll get the same experience when you increase the speed of Teddy, and when you press the snap lock to tilt the mixer unit back.”
Innovative, beautiful and surprising. And very popular. TEDDY has gone from strength to strength around the world as a fantastic ambassador for Danish design. And as a full member of the BEAR family from Wodschow & Co., which has established its position as perhaps the world’s leading manufacturer of professional food mixers over the last 100 years and more.
Meet TEDDY at the design museum here:
Designmuseum Danmark
Bredgade 68
DK-1260 Copenhagen K
For more information, please contact:
A/S Wodschow & Co., Kirkebjerg Søpark 6, DK-2605 Brøndby, Denmark, Tel.: +45 4344 2288,
E-mail: info@wodschow.dk, www.bearvarimixer.dk