Teddy bear story

Teddy bears are naturally associated with babies and children. What's all that rage like a good gift for a new baby? A pink or blue teddy bear. What is a centerpiece for a baby shower? A baby cake decorated with teddy bears. What have little children had as their best friend for years? Inevitably, a teddy bear.

With such an association, you will be surprised to know that the teddy bear is quite new historically. In fact, the teddy bear was invented in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt and was given that name in the early 20th century. It is also very interesting to know that, originally, teddy bears were not cute, much less cuddly.

1) The beginnings of the teddy bear

On November 14, 1902, President Roosevelt was on a bear hunting trip to Onward, Mississippi, organized by Mississippi Governor Andrew H. Longino. The hunters were numerous and many of them had already hunted a bear. President Roosevelt was not very lucky on this trip and not only did he not kill a bear, he never even saw one.

Not wanting to make Roosevelt look bad, his aides, led by Holt Collier, followed a black bear into the woods with the help of their dogs. After beating the bear into submission, Collier had it tied to a willow tree and then brought it to the president. He suggested to President Roosevelt that he shoot the bear so that the hunting trip would not be a failure.

Although he wanted the hunt to go well and was a well-known big game hunter, Roosevelt did not believe that shooting a captive bear was very sporting, so he refused. However, the bear was wounded and suffered, so Roosevelt asked that it be shot to put it out of its misery.

The news that President Theodore Roosevelt did not shoot the bear has been all over the country. Newspapers picked up the story and political cartoonist Clifford Berryman drew a cartoon showing how the president refused to shoot the bear. All Americans loved to see the president's compassion for the bear...

This cartoon was published in the Washington Post on November 16, 1902. Other cartoons soon followed, all with different interpretations of President Roosevelt and a bear he didn't want to shoot.

2) The fame of the teddy bear

The first time a teddy bear was called by this name was shortly after this event. Brooklyn candy store owner Morris Michtom saw the cartoon and came up with the idea of ​​using it to attract more customers to his store.

His wife often made teddy bears and other animals, so he took two of them and placed them in his shop window. He got permission from the President to call them "Teddy Bears." Ironically, although Teddy is short for Theodore, President Roosevelt hated the nickname. However, the name stuck and teddy bears were born.

Not only did Michtom manage to attract more customers to his store, but he began selling his wife's teddy bears as quickly as he could. He then went from selling candy to creating a company called Ideal Novelty and Toy Company, where he mass produced the teddy bear .

Six months after the fruitless hunting trip, an American buyer from "George Borgfeldt & Company" in New York was able to discover adorable teddy bears at the toy fair in Leipzig, Germany. He purchased 3000 of these bears from the "Steiff" company and soon these bears became known as teddy bears. Since neither of the two teddy bear producers knew the other, Michtom and Steiff are considered the creators.

In addition to the teddy bear, books and songs have been created about teddy bears. Seymour Eaton wrote a series of children's books titled "Roosevelt's Bears."

In 1907, John Walter Bratton wrote a two-part instrumental song titled "The Teddy Bears' Picnic." This instrumental piece eventually received lyrics written by Jimmy Kennedy in 1932.

3) Teddy bears of yesterday and today

You would be surprised to see a teddy bear with an original appearance, because they have changed their appearance over the years. The originals looked much more like an adult bear with a longer nose and small bead eyes. They were also covered in fur and not very friendly.

Over time, however, toy manufacturers began to turn these realistic bears into cute toys for children. Modern teddy bears have smaller noses, wider foreheads, and larger eyes, making them look more like teddy bears. Additionally, companies are making all types of bears, from wool bears to brown bears and pandas, using a variety of materials, from faux fur to cotton and denim.

4) Who sells teddy bears nowadays?

It seems like the answer to this question is almost everyone! Small cottage industries often make teddy bears for special occasions. These can be personalized to look like an individual, made to represent a profession such as a nurse or firefighter, designed to look like a movie character, or even created from special fabrics like a baby's first blanket or a wedding dress. A grandma.

Of course, you can find all the most beautiful teddy bears on our site.

5) Teddy bears in pop culture

Teddy bears became so common that they began to appear everywhere. Books about teddy bears became so common that it would be impossible to list them all. You may remember Paddington Bear, for example.

In addition to books, teddy bears became popular on television shows with Winnie the Pooh , the puppet Bobo the Bear , and the comedy Ted about teddy bears coming to life. We even see bears used in advertising, like the Snuggle teddy bear for Snuggle fabric softener.

6) Teddy bears for comfort

Teddy bears are known to children for their magical and comforting powers. They are capable of calming nightmares, scaring monsters under the bed and repelling loneliness. That's why hospital emergency room staff often give teddy bears to children during a crisis.

A program called Teddy Bear Cops allows police, firefighters and emergency services in the United States to give teddy bears to children during an emergency to help calm them.

So whether you buy a teddy bear for a newborn, use teddy bears to decorate a cake for a party, read stories about teddy bears, or donate so emergency officials can give teddy bears to those in need, You're participating in a trend that developed 100 years ago when a president didn't want to kill a bear.