Tales from the Buckhorn: A Teddy Bear Community in New Mexico

Tales from the Buckhorn: Introduction

Tales from the Buckhorn began as my contribution to weekly meetings with my nieces, Carmen and Clara, sometime in 2021. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we began meeting on Zoom nearly every Saturday, with their parents joining in from time to time. After reading Hamlet, Our Town, and all of the Power of Five books, we decided to create and share cartoons. As my drawing skills didn't match theirs, I photographed some of our Teddy Bears in a six-panel comic strip format.

My wife, Martha, and I have encountered a number of Teddy Bears over the years, and, over time, a number of them have come to live with us, beginning with Randy—he's the big red corduroy Bear, unique in my experience. We met Randy in Isabela, Basilan, in the Philippines; we eventually discovered that he actually comes from a planet called Queuebyccx, and that he has quite a lot to say. In like fashion, the Bears all gradually revealed their names, their personalities and back stories to us (although they keep surprising us with new information).

I wrote The JB Chronicles first (eight of them), as JB has a distinctive personality. Numbers 1 through 4 are patterned after Dana Carvey's Grumpy Old Man character on old Saturday Night Live shows. The girls asked for a little more variety, so JB began doing other things, although he has retained his grumpiness and ability to get into ironic situations. But then I decided to start telling stories about all the Bears, and shine a light on the whole community—and they do have a little community, with many dimensions and interactions. So the Tales from the Buckhorn (#1-39), because they include everyone, are presented first; The JB Chronicles (#1-8) although written first, follow.

The stories do not, generally, formally introduce any Teddy Bear or tell "start-to-finish" stories. That is, there are very few that begin with something like, "Once upon a time" and finish with "The End." The reader is asked to join things already in progress, taking things as you observe them, just as if you were to walk into the Buckhorn yourself. Some of the stories build on others, but (except for #8, which is in three parts) they may not do so in consecutive Tales. You gradually get to know things, and get to know Bears better, as you visit more often.

Many of the stories happen in and around Silver City, New Mexico. There is an actual Buckhorn Saloon and a Pinos Altos Opera House, both in Pinos Altos, seven miles from Silver City. Mining has been going on in the area for a very long time, especially since the 1870s, and two large copper mines continue to operate almost within sight of Silver City. And the Buckhorn Saloon is a great place to get a meal.

I must say "Thank You!" to Clara and Carmen, for their friendship and encouragement, and for introducing me and the Bears to several of their own stuffed animal friends. Thank yous also go to Martha, who came up with several of the story ideas and helped edit the stories; and to James Marshall's wonderful George and Martha stories—to a great extent, the structure and spirit of the Tales were inspired by those two hippos.

Again, The Complete Collection compiles all 39 Tales from the Buckhorn and, then, all 8 JB Chronicles, in comic strip format. The reader may want to read them in order, or go back and forth, or enter at any story. As with all communities, you learn more as you become part of this one.

Tim Karpoff • timkarpoff@msn.com