Nelle Livingston was born in 1882 in Hutchinson, Kansas. Nelle had two sons, Myrl and Ralph (Teddy). In 1918 the United States was at war. Myrl joined the Army and was stationed at Camp Kearney in San Diego. Nelle took Ralph with her and moved to La Jolla to be near Myrl. With the help of Ralph, Merle operated the concession at the La Jolla Cove Bath House for about five years, Soon after their arrival in La Jolla, her son Teddy joined the Navy. When the war ended Teddy was discharged as was his brother from the Army and Nelle continued operating the Bath House with the boys’ assistance. She leased and ran the Bath House until the community deemed it had become a community eyesore. It was demolished in 1924 and Nelle moved to Northern California. Approximately four years later found her back in Southern California in Solana Beach. Meanwhile, Teddy’s marriage had failed, he left La Jolla to join his mother and they opened a cafe along Highway 101 in Solana Beach. They called it the Teddy Bear.
The name Teddy was taken from the nickname Ralph had as a baby. He was born during the peak of Teddy Roosevelt’s popularity as a hero in the S[anish-American war and later as President of the U.S. In the photo above, the lady standing between the two gas pumps with an unknown man is Nelle The building was a remodeled residence with the cafe in the front and a living quarters in the back. Nelle and son Ted operated the Teddy Bear 24 hours a day, hiring help only during busy summer months.
They opened the café with $30 cash, lots of credit and one of their Dodge cars given to their landlord for a period of free rent.
Nelle was a good cook and she taught Ted well. They made a go of it even through the economic depression following the disastrous market crash in 1929. One of the secrets of their success was her homemade potato salad. Hamburgers in that era were selling for 10 cents. Nelle and Ted charged 15 cents, but instead of serving the hamburger with chips, they served it with a large scoop of Nelle’s delicious potato salad. They also made a killer chili and beans. It used the dark red dried peppers from nearby Eden Gardens and those peppers were ground up in the chili.
Nelle’s eldest son, Myrl, died young in 1938 at the age of 40. This was quite a blow to her and she never seemed to regain her old drive and stamina. She was also a heavy smoker. Two years later, in 1940, she died of cardiac arrest at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla. Nelle was 58 years old.
When the U.S. entered World War II in 1941 the Teddy Bear struggled. Even with the economic boom it was difficult because the cafe depended on highway traffic and it couldn’t survive on local business alone. Travel became curtailed because of wartime restrictions, particularly gasoline rationing. Ultimately, they had to close the Teddy Bear and Ted operated a produce business in another building on the site. Sometime later the original Teddy Bear building burned down.
After the war, Ted and his wife remodeled an old building as the new Teddy Bear Cafe north of The Plaza (see Teddy Bear II in the photograph abo ve, the location of the historic plaque.) The post-war restaurant business was providing a better lifestyle and Ted was able to hire mor ehelp for the Teddy Bear.
In the 19502, Ted’s health began to fail an dhe was unable to run the cafe. The finally closed it and sold both his house and the Teddy Bear (II) building.
Boo-Boo had been looking forward to the Historical Society’s Halloween party all month. He had never been to one before, and was excited to dress up in his best white sheet.
Jackie o’Lantern was feeling excited as she made her way to the community center by the sea. It was the earliest Halloween party of the season, and Jackie loved nothing more than dressing up and celebrating with her friends.
The Jinx attended the earliest Halloween party of the season, at a community center by the sea. It was two days before the full moon and the days might finally start to get chilly. The Jinx was excited to attend his first Halloween party, but he was also nervous. What would he wear? He had no idea what costumes humans wore. He decided to go as himself and flew to the party in a cloud of dark smoke.
Obscuro was getting excited for the upcoming Halloween party. It would be his first one of the season, and he was looking forward to dressing up in his favorite costume. He had white latex skin that made his face look like a mask, so he always stuck out in a crowd. But that was exactly why he loved going to Halloween parties- he loved the opportunity to show off his unique look.
Lucius Morte had never been to a Halloween party before. He had always been too busy tormenting the damned in the 4th level of hell to bother with earthly celebrations. But this year, he was feeling particularly restless and decided to venture out into the world of mortals. He found a community center by the sea that was hosting a Halloween party and decided to attend.
Vespera was so excited to go to the Halloween party. It was at a community center by the sea, and it would be her first party in a long time! She had been practicing her mime and charade skills for weeks, and she was determined to show everyone how good she was.
Gourdy Bane was very excited to attend the earliest Halloween party of the season. It was being held at a community center by the sea, and he loved the sound of waves crashing against the shore. When he arrived, he saw that the party was already in full swing. There were pumpkins everywhere, and people were dressed in costumes. Gourdy Bane saw a couple of gourds wearing pirate costumes, and he couldn’t help but laugh. He loved Halloween parties, and he was having a great time dancing to the music and eating candy.
Morrigana was very excited to attend the Halloween party at the community center by the sea. It was two days before the full moon, and the days were finally starting to get chilly. Morrigana had been working on her Halloween outfit all year long, and she was looking forward to showing it off.
William Wisp had been looking forward to the community center’s Halloween party all month long. It was going to be two days before the full moon, and he loved the smell of fall in the air (cinnamon and pumpkin spice). His Halloween costume was all ready to go, and he was excited to show it off to all of his friends. This year, he was dressed as a pumpkin. His little orange boots matched his little pumpkin body perfectly.
Mr. Creepers was all dressed up and ready to go to the community center by the sea for the earliest Halloween party of the season. It had been a long time since he’d been out and about, but he was feeling young at heart and ready to have some fun. He loved the black 1940s coat that he had found at a thrift store and felt confident that he would be the most stylish person at the party.
The Frankster had always loved Halloween. He loved the costumes, the candy, and most of all, the parties. This year, he was especially excited for the party at the community center by the sea. It was two days before the full moon, and he could feel a tiny bit of a cool autumn breeze in the air.
Wooblydook was really excited to attend the Halloween party at the community center by the sea. He had never been to one before, and he was looking forward to kale pulling and making neep lanterns. The party was two days before the full moon, and Wooblydook was hoping it would start to get chilly soon. He loved being out in the cold and feeling his bat-like ears flap in the wind.
As the sun began to set, the community center by the sea came to life. Lights flickered on, announcing that the earliest Halloween party of the season was about to start. A golden sun slowly rose in the sky, growing brighter and brighter as it got closer to the horizon. As it reached its peak, people whispered: this sun only came out at night. It was the Midnight Sun.