Teddy Bears
Few toys have as much as sentimental value as teddy bears. These
cuddly, furry little creatures have provided comfort and protection for
countless generations of children looking for someone to protect them
from the things that go bump in the night. As time has revealed, the
teddy bears' combination of cuteness and strength is one of lasting
popularity.
The creation of the teddy bear was inspired by the 26th President
of the United States, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. The "teddy bear"
story began in November 1902 when Roosevelt visited the southern United
States to help settle a border dispute between Mississippi and
Louisiana. During the trip, Roosevelt went bear hunting. The other men
in his party cornered a bear near a water hole and offered Roosevelt a
shot at it. They were surprised when Roosevelt declined the
opportunity, saying it was un-sportsmanlike to shoot a trapped animal.
Clifford Berryman, a newspaper cartoonist for the Washington Post,
witnessed this incident and it inspired him to draw a cartoon called
"Drawing the Line in Mississippi." It depicted Roosevelt’s refusal to
shoot the bear, but Berryman changed one detail of the incident: he
altered the bear from a full-sized adult to a tiny, adorable cub. To
Berryman's surprise, the cartoon was published in newspapers across the
country. This led to the story behind the incident being altered to
Roosevelt having refused to shoot an innocent cub. The revised tale
caught on with the American public and led Berryman to do several more
cartoons featuring his new trademark, “Teddy’s bear.” The enduring
popularity of these creatures led author Seymour Eaton to pen a series
of children's books under the name Paul Piper. They became a big hit
and further helped the teddy bear become a part of popular culture.
The popularity of the fictional cub sparked the imagination of
Morris Michtom, the owner of a small novelty store in Brooklyn, New
York. Michtom's wife stitched several plush toy replicas of the bear
for sale in the family store. When they sold quickly, Michtom sent
Roosevelt one of the toy bears and asked permission to use the
President's name on the bears. Roosevelt responded positively and
Michtom, along with large wholesaling company Butler Brothers, began to
mass-produce the toy bears. Thanks to the success of the teddy bear,
Michtom was able to found the Ideal Toy Company, which would go on to
become one of the biggest toy and doll manufacturers in the U.S.
Around that time, teddy bears also began to appear in Europe.
Margaret Steiff, a German dressmaker, was designing stuffed toys around
this time and created some bears at the suggestion of one of her
nephews. She debuted these creations at Germany's Leipzig Toy Fair and
attracted the attention of a visiting American toy buyer known as
George Borgfeldt and Co. They ordered several thousand of these bears,
which led Steiff to form her own successful company to handle the
demand.
Since then, the teddy bear has outgrown its original inspiration to
include several other cuddly types of bears, including those with names
like Winnie the Pooh.
No matter what guise he takes, the teddy bear remains a fixture in
every young kid’s bedroom. In fact, he frequently pops up on the
couches and beds of many adults (after all, you can never have enough
protection against the boogey man). In short, the teddy bear is and
always will be the king of stuffed animals.
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