After supporting the Queensland Country Life Showgirl Competition for the past two years, we decided this year it was finally time to join the fun ourselves!

This August, you’ll find Tambo Teddies at the Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) in the John Reid Pavilion, thanks to the Ekka’s fantastic initiative to showcase regional Queensland businesses. We can’t wait to introduce thousands of visitors to our little piece of outback Queensland.

Although Tambo Teddies has been to the Ekka before, this will be our first appearance since we purchased the business in 2014, making it a pretty special milestone for us.

One of the highlights of our Ekka journey has been supporting the Queensland Country Life Showgirl Competition. This year we’re incredibly proud to donate 11 beautiful teddy bears for the Showgirl Awards, including a beautifully soft cream Toby wearing a custom-made ‘Tambo’ Showgirl sash. The Showgirl competition celebrates the values we admire most—community, leadership, volunteering and a passion for rural Queensland—so it’s an honour to play a small part.

We’ve also loved supporting the RNA High Tea over the past few years, which this year is raising funds for the Isolated Children’s Parents’ Association (ICPA) Sports Camps, including children from our own Tambo district. Supporting country families has always been close to our hearts, so heading to the Ekka feels like a natural next step.

Of course, there’s a lot more involved than simply packing a few bears into the car!

While our wonderful sewing team in Toowoomba is busy making sure every teddy is looking its absolute best, we’re juggling all the behind-the-scenes planning, organising stock, accommodation, travel, bump-in, displays and everything else that comes with taking a regional business to Queensland’s biggest show.

We’re also incredibly excited to introduce Bunji to even more Queenslanders.

Bunji is our handcrafted koala and our vision for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. His name means friendship and mateship, and that’s exactly what he represents. We love the idea that every athlete arrives in Brisbane as a stranger but leaves Australia with lifelong friendships……and perhaps a little koala from regional Queensland to remember their experience.

The Ekka gives us the perfect opportunity to showcase Bunji to the wider Brisbane community and share our dream of seeing him become part of the Brisbane 2032 story. From Tambo to the world, we believe Bunji represents everything that’s special about Queensland—our wildlife, our welcoming spirit, our regional communities and our proud Australian manufacturing.

If you’re heading to the Ekka this year, we’d absolutely love you to stop by and say hello. Come and meet us, hear the story behind Tambo Teddies, cuddle a bear (or two!), meet Bunji and discover why we’ve been creating Childhood Friends for Life for more than 30 years.