Cross previously worked in tourism and owned a number of souvenir shops in Devon.
He had also made business deals with other shops in the United Kingdom before retiring to work on a part-time basis.
[3] In 1996, Cross attended the Olympics in Atlanta, United States while wearing a Union Flag costume; he received a measure of publicity for it.
The year afterwards, he received a phone call from the Rugby Football Union inviting Cross to become the first official mascot of the England team because they had seen him in his costume.
[4] In 2006, the RFU commissioned a teddy bear based on Cross to be sold as official England merchandise.