Itasca, Ill. - February 22, 2002 -- Market bearish? Boss acting grizzly? Want to hibernate instead of create? It's time to liven up the cub-icle with a little bit of childhood fun to help you live up to your paw-tential!

On October 25, a general call to action will go forth to honor President Teddy Roosevelt's birthday weekend (for whom Teddy bears were named) by bringing a Teddy bear of any shape, size or form to your workplace. "National Take Your Teddy Bear To Work Day" will reinvigorate the office with a sense of fun, innocent creativity and an appreciation for simpler things. And who knows…maybe going to work with Teddy will give you rights to use the carpool lane!

Cherished Teddies, the premier Teddy bear collectible figurine, is the standard bear-er of the event, calling for executives, teachers, lawyers, doctors, sanitation engineers and synchronized swimmers to tote a Teddy to the workplace on that Friday, October 25. Commute with Teddy, bounce an idea or two off him, and even invite him to a staff meeting. The call-to-action includes those who telecommute and work from home particularly, as it's quite appropriate to keep a bear in your den.

Adding a bit of fun and playfulness with a Teddy bear can even help you do your job better. "A fun workplace is a much more productive environment than a routine environment," said creativity expert Roger van Oech, Ph.D. in his book "A Whack on the Side of the Head." "Necessity may be the mother of invention, but play is certainly the father."

Creativity experts at Enesco Group, Inc., the makers of Cherished Teddies, have developed some simple tips on increasing your FQ - fun quotient - in the workplace with ideas on how to spur creative thinking, including:

• Change your viewpoint - literally. If you're stumped by a problem, sit in a new area or take a walk around the office outdoors. The change of venue can clear your mind.
• Think in terms of headlines: If you know what you'd want the headline for your project to be in the newspaper, you can get a better sense of goals and direction and what needs to happen.
• Play the 'Infinity plus one' game: You've got a great idea that solves the problem. But you can always "add one" to an infinitely good idea. What little boost can you give the concept?