“	By the sacred mainspring and his cohorts, wound and winding; by the four courts of the carved, sewn, glued and vacuum-molded; by the authority of hef and weave; by the batteries both included and not; and with some assembly required…by the concord of the boxed, bagged and blister-packed…I hereby crown you, Therese the First, Uncontested Queen of Toyland, Far Matagonia, and the Wondrous Shore!	„
	― Mr. Ives crowning Therese Wolf, Fables #116 — "Cubs in Toyland, Part 3: Clockwork Tiger"

Theodore Clement von Beniot and Down, also referred to as Teddy Saint Ives, or Mr. Ives for short, is a living teddy bear who is one of the Discardia; discarded toys from the mundane world who live through the belief of children. He first appears in Fables #114 — "Toy Boat: Chapter One of Cubs in Toyland."

History

Background

Theodore Clement von Beniot and Down, of Saint Bastien and Saint Ives,^[1] also known as Teddy Saint Ives,^[2] or Mr. Ives for short,^[1] is a giant teddy bear^[1] from the mundane world, where he belonged to two infant boys, Billy and Bobby Linder. Mr. Ives was exiled to Toyland after being positioned too near a damaged electrical wire, which ignited his plush. The flames engulfed the entire bedroom, and although he survived due to a stroke of luck, albeit with a damaged plush, the two children perished in their twin cribs, screaming as he watched helplessly.^[4] He became one of the Discardia, a group formed by discarded toys^[2] from the mundane world,^[4] who are somehow washed up on the shores of Toyland^[2] after being thrown away,^[4] living through the belief of children.^[5]

Therese the First

When Toyland seeks a new queen,^[1] a nine year old girl^[6] named Therese Wolf emerges as the candidate and is escorted to Toyland by the living toy boat Mr. Steampuddle. Mr. Ives, accompanied by a collection of toys, arrives at the beach to welcome Therese, and Ives advises everyone to conduct themselves appropriately. The teddy bear extends a warm greeting to Therese, introducing himself to the young girl, styling himself as Knight Inerrant of the Yonder Plush and Warden of the Shifty Shores while informing her that she has arrived in Toyland. He proposes that Therese take a moment to rest prior to resuming their conversation and guides her into the palace. Therese expresses concern that her mother may become anxious about her absence, yet Ives assures her that they are in the realm of Discardia, a place where no one is concerned about your disappearance or even recalls that you have left.^[1]

As they climb the stairs leading into the castle, the teddy bear expresses that he has yearned for this day for many years and has never lost hope, despite moments when they feared that hope had abandoned them. Upon entering the castle, he presents her to some of her new subjects, and Therese observes that they are all damaged toys. Eager to commence the coronation, he dismisses her desire to return home afterward by likening her to Dorothy Gale, asserting that "Only silly Dorothys arrive in a magical land and want to go home" and claims that "Dorothy" are reviled throughout every wondrous land and the name Dorothy translates as "squandered opportunity." As they ascend the stairs to the throne room, he reassures the girl that the dilapidated condition of the castle will improve once she is crowned and seated on the throne. Within the throne room, Mr. Ives directs her to greet her subjects with a wave and graciously offers to take her coat prior to her taking a seat on the throne. Therese discovers the spiky throne to be quite uncomfortable, prompting Mr. Ives to request the stuffed toy cat, Mr. Wellstuffed, to come forward and serve as a cushion for the young girl.^[2]

Mr. Ives places the crown upon Therese's head, officially naming her Therese the First, Uncontested Queen of Toyland, Far Mattagonia, and the Wondrous Shore. He further proclaims her as the Monarch Extraordinary of the Discardia, wherever they may be located. He extends his congratulations to the newly appointed queen, respectfully referring to her as "your highness" and inquires about her first command. Feeling hungry, Therese requests something to eat, prompting Mr. Ives to instruct the court to provide food for her. He personally presents her with a tray delivered by one of the other toys, only for Therese to discover that the food is entirely made of plastic. He questions Therese about any issues, and when she clarifies that she cannot consume plastic, he casually remarks that everything in Toyland is a toy and nothing grows there.^[2]

Despite Therese's intense hunger,^[2] the teddy bear remains indifferent to the girl's plight; he urgently instructs her to begin the restoration of the damaged toys, calling it her great undertaking and the purpose for which she was brought to this world. He orders her to utilize her imagination and pretend that she has already eaten, "just as every toy is given life by those who pretend to have it." When another toy delivers a cup of rainwater to Therese, she angrily instructs Ives to remove the cup, asserting that she cannot feign eating and requires real food. The teddy bear remarks that sometimes great sacrifices must be made for the sake of the realm, but when Therese counters that she does not wish to make sacrifices, but rather desires something to eat, he assures her that he will try to find food for her. In a hushed conversation, Mr. Wellstuffed remarks that this is not proceeding well and asks if they should inform Therese "about the other aspect, yet Mr. Ives responds that Therese is not prepared for that revelation.^[7]

The girl, having reached her limit, angrily strides out of the castle. Ives pursues her, asking her to be reasonable, but Therese rightly observes that he has not given her any food. The girl attempts to take off into the air, but she falls back down; Mr. Ives informs her that her flying abilities are ineffective in this location. He seeks to comfort her by saying that she can still fly in her imagination, as everything is pretend here.^[7]

Lord Mountbatten

Immediately afterward, the tiger Lord Mountbatten and Therese's brother Darien arrive outside the castle to save Therese, only to be ambushed and attacked by the toys.^[7] Mr. Ives, furious that the tiger dares to bother the Discardia, engages the tiger in hand-to-hand combat, calling him a "baseless animal." The tiger begs for mercy, but the angry teddy bear states that no quarter will be given to enemies of Queen Therese's realm. The two fight with fang and claw, with Ives, "imbued with the strength of limbs imbued by the virtue of my noble station," quickly getting the upper hand. He lifts the tiger over his head and smashes his body onto the stones, breaking his back, before ordering the other toys to tie the creature up.^[4]

Mr. Ives returns to Therese, who is going mad with hunger. The gloves are off as the angry teddy bear labels her a little brat, asserting that he can no longer tolerate her tantrums and sobbing. He coldly states to her that every child who comes here dies. Noticing that Mr. Ives is about to reveal the full story of the toys to Therese, Mr. Wellstuff tries to intervene, as Therese is not prepared for this information. Still, Mr. Ives is unconcerned and tells the shaken Therese that the toys were exiled to Toyland due to their indirect involvement in the deaths of the children and infants they belonged to. He recounts his own reason for being exiled and instructs the other toys to do the same; much to Therese's horror. After hearing their tragic tales, Therese runs off, sobbing, and Mr. Wellstuff asks his friend whether this was truly necessary, but Ives retorts that Therese needed a sharp dose of reality, "a slap to wake her up." Now that her will is broken, she can be remade to do what they need of her. However, Mr. Wellstuffed informs him that they must proceed carefully, as she can be "broken, but not shattered." He recommends that they bury Darien's remains before Therese comes across them, believing him to be dead, but Ives's reply is not disclosed.^[4]

The trial of Mountbatten

Mountbatten, each of his four legs bound to a pole that Mr. Ives is carrying, is brought by Mr. Ives to face the judgment of Therese in her court. Ironically, Mr. Ives has been assigned the role of defense for the accused. The teddy bear asserts that the tiger has been defeated, both physically and militarily, and requests his release on the condition that he departs from their shores and never returns. Mountbatten fervently insists that he arrived to save Therese and pleads for her mercy. Mr. Ives conveys to fellow toy Judge Kidd that the defense has nothing more to add. Therese remains unmoved, whether due to her own hunger or the effects of the cursed land, and commands Mr. Ives to execute Mountbatten and serve him to her to sate her hunger.^[5]

Mr. Ives immediately snaps the stick of a hobby horse in half, indifferent to its protests, and kills the tiger by stabbing him over and over with the sharp stick. He and the rest of the toys then proceed to tear the tiger's body apart to make meals for their queen. Therese asks Ives if it's been done, and he confirms that it has. She orders Mountbatten to provide her with a portion of the meat. Ives acquiesces and places a piece of raw tiger meat on a tray held by fellow toy Joey, directing him to present it to their ruler. Therese feasts on his raw meat with savage hunger, not wasting any time. She commands for the remaining flesh to be cooked, but Ives explains to her that there are no trees in Toyland because nothing grows there, so they have no wood to start a fire. However, Therese counters that they do; many of the toys are made of wood, and she orders them burned to prepare her supper. Mr. Ives reluctantly instructs Mr. Wellstuffed to obey his queen and build a fire. When one of the wooden toys protests, saying that they should get a new queen, Ives counters that they live through the belief of children and their current queen is their only conduit to that belief. If they break that link, they may not survive long enough to recruit a new one.^[5]

The restoration begins

After the grim deed is done, Mr. Ives shares with Mr. Wellstuffed that Therese is powerful and she may have time to restore them now that she isn't in immediate danger of starving to death. Wellstuffed counters that the tiger's carcass will not last forever, but Mr. Ives doesn't care, stating that Therese is disposable, just like the other children they brought here. He believes they have to harden their hearts and think of the greater good. Still, when Wellstuff points out that Therese's exposure to them is diminishing her, Ives admits that this is something to consider.^[8]

Afterward, a sad Therese asks if her life will be spent with nothing to do and only awful things to eat, but the teddy bear comforts her, saying that better things await them. However, Mr. Ives panics when Therese finds some of her brother's possessions and realizes that her brother is here.^[8] As the girl runs down the stairs outside the castle to reach her brother, Ives cautions her to exercise caution to avoid slipping. The girl discovers that Darien has sacrificed his own life to activate a magic cauldron, which will continuously generate hot, fresh food for her. Mr. Ives is amazed when one of his fellow toys, Rex, speaks, as Rex had given up on life ages ago and his life force had dwindled. He realizes that the restoration of Toyland has begun. Ives watches as Therese comes to grips with the fact that her brother is dead. Wellstuffed worries about the restoration that was started but then stopped; however, Ives kindly asks him to be patient, confident that Therese is the one and that they just need to wait.^[3]

The great restoration

Therese grieves over her brother for many years. Every day, she dines from the magical cauldron, which never runs out of delightful food, each meal different from the last. Upon maturity, she decides to put her brother's sacrifice to work and begins the restoration of Toyland. She instructs Mr. Ives to locate Mr. Steampuddle and inform him to prepare for numerous ocean voyages. Ives insists that Steampuddle is only able to travel to and from Toyland when a new king or queen is required, yet Therese asserts that her newly acquired powers as queen signify that things will change from this point forward. Forcing everyone to accept that they are killers, including herself, she commands Mr. Steampuddle to lead a series of new voyages and for the toys to save lives; one hundred, for each life that they took. Mr. Ives is delighted, calling Therese the "queen of great restoration, at long last."^[3]

Mr. Ives and Mr. Wellstuffed, along with two other members of the Discardia, journey across the oceans on Mr. Steampuddle, with Ives confessing his anxiety, as he has not "set paw on first boxing world" for quite some time. Together, he and Wellstuffed rescue a young mundy boy named Timmy Brooks from drowning in his pool. When Timmy's mother discovers her son, the two conceal themselves behind a bush, and Ives graciously suggests that this can be counted as Wellstuffed's save, while he will take the next one. Over the years, the two traverse between the mundane realm and Toyland to report their successes to the queen, before being sent out again. In time, Ives' damaged stuffing begins to heal, which brings him much joy, and all the toys and their land are slowly restored as the years pass.^[3]

Wolf family reunion

One thousand years after the destruction of Fabletown, Mr. Ives, plush now fully restored, appears at the Wolf family reunion with Therese, Mr. Wellstuffed and a handful of other toys. Ives had previously suggested that they invite Therese's entire family to Toyland, but seeing how big the Wolf family has become, he adjusts his suggestion to just the core family, "three generations or less."^[9]

Appearances

Fables

• Fables #115 (first appearance)
• Fables #116
• Fables #117
• Fables #118
• Fables #119
• Fables #120
• Fables #121
• Fables #150

References