By Chris Cosci

The teddy bear has long been a popular item in most children's toy chests. The teddy bear is a perfect way to satisfy children's desire to own a bear without exposing them to the risks of shredded skin and torn-off limbs.

For about $20, you can walk into just about any toy store and find a soft, furry teddy bear that can be carried with you anywhere you go. You could also win one at a carnival or amusement park. Of course, those teddy bears tend to be unusually large and a rather unnatural shade of light blue. Plus, winning one usually requires about one month's salary, a considerably amount of patience, and deft mole-whacking skills.

For some people, a teddy bear is more than just another stuffed toy. A teddy bear can be a companion -- something that provides comfort or brings back warm memories. It's this kind of emotional connection that makes create-your-own teddy bear stores so popular. These stores allow for customization that makes each bear sold seem more personal. However, this personal touch does get a little overshadowed by the creepy atmosphere in such stores. When you walk in, you are surrounded by bins filled with un-stuffed bearskins and stuffing machines that resemble bizarre contraptions from medieval torture chambers. It has a somewhat nightmarish vibe that's hard to shake.

After creating a personalized bear, customers get to choose an outfit for the bear, give it a name (the bear, not the outfit... although I'm sure some people would name the outfit if they were given the opportunity), and even buy additional outfits and accessories. As people return to these stores and buy more outfits and accessories (in effect, spoiling the bears), these teddy bears will reach a level beyond that of all teddy bears before them. Essentially, they'll become like pets. Although people-teddy bear relationships are much further down the emotional scale than people-pet relationships, a couple of entrepreneurs in Germany are looking to close this gap with their new business.

Christopher Bohm and Elke Verheugen have started a business called Teddy in Munich. Basically, it's a service that provides vacations for teddy bears. People who feel that their teddy bears deserve a little time away can send their bears to Christopher and Elke. Once there, the bears are treated to a one-week vacation in Munich, without the owners, to relax and unwind from the stressful hustle and bustle of their busy lives.

As part of the vacation, the teddy bear will visit popular tourist attractions, including Hofbrauhaus, a world-famous tavern with a generous menu of beers. There is also a focus on Bavarian traditions, including a standard trip to a local beer garden. The bears can also be brought to the language laboratory, where they will learn the basics of the German language... starting with bier und brezn (beer and pretzels).

In addition to the standard tour, the teddy bears can opt for extracurricular activities. Adventurous bears can go bungee jumping or paragliding. Other bears can choose a less demanding activity such as fishing or golfing. During the vacation, Christopher and Elke will take pictures so that the bear can have its very own photo journal to take home and show to its owner. The vacation, including photo journal and extra activities, runs 99 euros (about $120) for local bears, and 149 euros (about $130) for out-of-towners.

Forgive me if I sound a little cynical, but has the world finally gone mad? There's a fine line between having a vivid imagination and being delusional. Pretending your teddy bear can speak German is one thing. Paying over $100 to send it to Germany so that it can see the sights and learn the language is another.

What's next? Will people send their favorite chair to France, where it can visit the Eiffel Tower and sip red wine by the Seine (as long as the chair doesn't have white upholstery)? Maybe there will be a Car Camp in Australia where your four-door sedan can scout out kangaroos and wallabies in the Outback. And somewhere in Brazil, a couple might invite cherished t-shirts for a weeklong Carnival in Rio.

Just the thought of all of this makes me feel a little crazy. I need to sit down and relax. Maybe I can get a teddy bear to give me a massage.