Miley Cyrus has been defended over her controversial MTV VMAs performance by the man who designed her giant teddy bears.

The appearance - criticised for being too raunchy by people such as Cyndi Lauper and organisations like the Parents Television Council - featured a number of giant bears designed by Todd James.

The artist, who produced the bears in less than a month, admitted that he does not understand the scandal surrounding the performance.

"I think there have been way crazier performances," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "There were no malfunctions of outfits or anything. I don't get it."

James added that Cyrus is going through a "transition" as an artist, saying: "It may take a second for some people to get on board. I think most people she's collaborated with, where I've heard interviews, were totally on board for her.

"People grow up and I think it's positive. You've got to move forward. I didn't think it was that crazy, especially for the VMAs."

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The use of teddy bears in Cyrus's VMAs performance has been criticised by charity the Teddy Bear Fund, which accused Cyrus of using the "universally loved" soft toy "in an offensive way".

However, Cyrus's manager Larry Rudolph has suggested that the performance "could not have gone better".

Listen to Miley Cyrus's leaked collaboration with Justin Bieber, 'Twerk', below: