Being an avid Tarot reader, I’ve seen images from the first editions of Teddy Tarot dotted around the internet over the past couple of years but up until now I’ve never actually had a copy of this deck in my hands to work or to read with. I was, therefore, delighted when I received a package from Deckstiny earlier this week in which I found there to be a copy of the brand new ‘Teddy Tarot Gold Edition’.
Deckstiny
Based in Thailand, Deckstiny is a team collaboration of Mate Horonumber, Oomsin Phumphat, and a number of other artists and contributors including Jujiir and Petpodpot.
Over the past few years Deckstiny, alongside their contributing artists, has designed, developed, and produced a range of modern, cutesy, divination decks, all of which are available to purchase Worldwide via their Etsy shop.
Packaging & Presentation
Packed and presented in a stylish, sturdy, cardboard box featuring two rather cute bears against a glorious golden backdrop and glitzy writing, the Teddy Tarot Gold Edition is packaged perfectly for storage and display purposes and features two thumb slots for easy access.
Deckstiny Don’t Do Guidebooks
It is worth noting that Deckstiny does not provide a guidebook with the majority of their divination decks, this includes the Golden Journey Tarot. For beginner/ amateur readers it may, therefore, be worthwhile purchasing a separate guide to the traditional Rider Waite Smith Tarot in order to gain an understanding of the possible spreads, and the individual card meanings.
The Cards
Published in 2022, the Teddy Tarot Gold Edition is printed on 330 GSM Arts card stock with a matt coating, gold foil stamping, and glorious gold foil gilded edging. Measuring a standard 70 x 120mm, the Teddy Tarot Gold Edition features beautiful brown card backs with symmetrical teddy bears ideal for both upright and reversed readings.
Limited Luxuries & Certification
Deckstiny prints a limited number of each of their Tarot decks, certification of precisely which number deck you have received is usually always included on a signed certification card, as well as being printed/stamped on the side of the packaging.
Bonus Cards
Included with the Teddy Tarot Gold Edition are a certification card, two art/ packaging cards, and a ‘Ted Kiss’ card (in place of the usual Happy Squirrel card included in most Deckstiny divination decks).
The Major Arcana
Based on the traditional Rider Waite Smith Tarot, the beautiful borderless Teddy Tarot Gold Edition follows the same suits, titling, numbering, and structure as the conventional RWS, though a couple of the titles have been altered to suit the modern take on this Tarot deck.
The imagery throughout the major arcana is bright, bold, colourful, and incredibly cute with a range of beautiful bears depicting the traditional figures from the RWS. The images used are easily interpreted for intuitive readers thus I would suggest that the Teddy Tarot Gold Edition is an ideal deck for readers of all ages and abilities.
The Minor Arcana
The Teddy Tarot Gold Edition uses the traditional RWS suits of Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles alongside the conventional court cards (Pages, Knights, Queens, and Kings).
The imagery throughout the minor arcana is very similar to that of the major arcana in that the imagery is bright, bold, and easy to interpret. The cutesy bears are probably very suited to readers of a younger audience, though I as an adult can also appreciate the cutesy, cheery, friendly, and fun imagery throughout this deck.
The Suit of Wands
The Suit of Cups
The Suit of Swords
The Suit of Pentacles
Taking A Closer Look At The Teddy Tarot Gold Edition.
In order to further explain and illustrate the Teddy Tarot Gold Edition, I have put together a detailed walkthrough of the deck.
Reading & Working With The Teddy Tarot Gold Edition
Having spent the past week or so working and reading with the Teddy Tarot Gold Edition, I am completely and utterly head over heels for this deck. I wasn’t at all surprised when my nine-year-old daughter took an interest in looking through the cards, she too has a keen eye for anything cute and colourful thus I suspect that at some point I’ll be handing this deck down to her.
The card quality is luxurious, the matt printing offers a smooth shuffle, and the upgraded packaging is far superior to that of previous Deckstiny-style tuck boxes. This is a high-quality, super cute deck ideal for all ages and abilities though I would suggest that beginner readers should ideally acquire some form of written guidance when learning how to read the Tarot.
Purchasing & Pricing Information
The Teddy Tarot Gold Edition is available to purchase directly via Deckstiny’s Etsy Store and currently (as of April 2023) retails at £57.04. This isn’t a cheap deck to acquire, especially as there are additional packaging and postage fees (currently £33.10 to the UK) to consider. As Deckstiny are based in Thailand, postage and packaging are often costly thus I would suggest buying in bulk/ batches to reduce outgoing costs.
To Summarise
The Teddy Tarot Gold Edition is one of the cutest, most adorable Tarot decks I have had the pleasure of working and reading with. Structured upon the traditional RWS, the Teddy Tarot Gold Edition is ideal for readers of all ages and abilities. These colourful, cute, cuddly cards are quite simply adorable if a little on the expensive side.
For further information on the Teddy Tarot Gold Edition or alternative Deckstiny publications visit www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ShuffleTarot
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Product Rating
Disclosure: I was sent the above product for the purpose of this post however all opinions are my own.