The un-ted:

Artist turns cute cuddly toys into gruesome zombies that would  be sure to to keep you awake at night

• British  artist Phillip Blackman, 45, makes ‘Undead Teds’ from old soft  toys
• His £59  Valentine bear, which has ripped out its own heart, is  bestseller
• Mr  Blackman, from Suffolk, says he’s sold out of the ‘horrible’ zombie  teds

If you are looking for that perfect  Valentine’s Day present then one of these could be just the ticket – if you want  to make your other half run for the hills, that is.

These gruesome teddy bears, called the  ‘Undead Teds’, have been selling like hot cakes in the run up to February  14th.

So many people have placed orders for a £59  Valentine’s Day teddy ripping its bleeding heart out that their British creator,  artist Phillip Blackman, says he has sold out.

Mr Blackman, who lives with his  fiancée and two-year-old son in the  Suffolk countryside, describes his gory  creations as ‘repurposed soft toys transformed into fluffy, bloody horrors to  keep you awake at night’.

The 45-year-old makes the zombie teddy bears  by transforming old toys using film-standard special effects  make-up.

He said: ‘I hit  on the idea of making zombie  teddy-bears – the inspiration came from a  rather obscure in-joke between my  partner and I.

Some bears have worse injuries than others – these two  appear to have suffered particularly badly

‘She had a terrible cold at the time and we’d  been talking about a gift for a friend’s baby. With a very stuffy nose  “teddy-bear” kept coming out as “deady-bear”, and we joked about zombie teddies  that creep from under your bed at night to feast on your brains while you  sleep.’

Mr Blackman initially tried sewing bones and  organs out of felt, but felt his sewing skills weren’t up to it.

Having long been a fan of film director  George A Romero, creator of zombie film Night of the Living Dead, and with  training in theatrical and special effects make-up, he decided to use the same  techniques on teddies.

He bought some old bears on eBay, but when  his partner became pregnant and they moved house, the artist forgot all about  the teddy bears in the chaos of a new family.

But when he was sorting through his son’s  soft toys deciding what to take to the charity shop, he came across the old  bears he’d bought and decided to have a go at transforming them.

He said: ‘I individually hand-sculpt the  bones, teeth and other organs from polymer clay or latex, then open the bear’s  carcass, scoop out as necessary and glue the bones into place.’

Possibly for those with harder stomachs than most: These  teddies by Phillip Blackman have both sold

Some designs, including the Valentine Undead  Ted, have a strong wire frame retrofitted to ensure they keep their pose and  don’t fall over.

‘The bones, teeth and other organs are  individually hand-sculpted from polymer clay or latex, the bear’s carcass is  then opened, scooped out as necessary and the bones glued in place.

Mr Blackman then paints the bears and adds a  wet-look varnish to blood and bones for extra realism.

He said: ‘Each UndeadTed takes in excess of  eight hours to make, not including the time it takes for glue, paint and varnish  to dry, and I price them individually depending on size, complexity, materials  used and time taken.

For adults only: These customised teddies featuring  horrific injuries have both been sold to unknown buyers

‘They’ve all been great fun to make but of  all the ones I’ve made so far, my favourites are the Valentine ones, holding  their torn-out hearts aloft as a grisly gift to their lovers.  Horrible.’

While the appeal of the gory bears may prove  elusive to many of us, their appeal for others is obviously strong.

Mr Blackman’s online Etsy store has sold out,  while his undeadteds.tumblr.org website has attracted comments from enthusiastic  fans, all of them female.

One woman asks if he ships to the US, adding:  ‘I am dying to get one of your amazing creations’, while another exclaims:  ‘These are perfect for Valentine’s Day!’

Fans of the bears can also send in their own  teddies and specific injuries, and Mr Blackman will customise them according to  their requests.

This disembowelled teddy, left, and bear with a  gouged-out eye, right, have both been snapped up already

If you go down to the woods today: This poor bear seems  to have lost an ear and half a paw in a savage attack

source: zombie-teddies