Additional Info: | Every Garcia is unique because of its ty-dye fabric. Collectors speculateGarciacommemorates Jerry Garcia, guitarist for the Grateful Dead. The back cover of the albumHistory of the Grateful Dead, Volume 1, shows a drawing of bears. Andy Garcia and this namesake bear share the same birth date of August 1. Garcia (the bear) was introduced five months after Jerry Garcia died. The unusually rapid retirement of Garcia resulted from an alleged lawsuit brought by the Garcia family against Ty, Inc., claiming the name Garcia was used without the family's permission. In response to the lawsuit, Garcia the bear was retired and replaced by a similar bear namedPeace. Garcia's retirement date of May 11, 1997, is the same datePeacewas introduced. The newPeacebear was identical to Garcia except for the name, tags and the peace symbol on Peace's chest. COUNTERFEIT ALERT Counterfeit versions of Garcia exist. |