It's hard to find someone who hasn't had a
special toy. Seems everyone has had a
special friend that's been with them
forever, listening and comforting them. For
many that friend came in the form of a TEDDY
BEAR. It's hard to believe those cute and
cuddly friends, so much a part of our lives,
haven't been around forever. The Teddy Bear
is younger than the electric light, the
motor car, and the telephone.
On November 14, 1902, the 26th President of
the United States, Theodore "Teddy"
Roosevelt, went to Mississippi to settle a
border dispute between Mississippi and
Louisiana. While there, Roosevelt agreed to
join in a bear hunt. Accustomed to a
strenuous, physical hunt, he was a bit
dismayed by the unfamiliar method of using
packs of dogs to track and chase prey
leaving the hunter to only wait for his
animal.
Hunting
conditions proved unfavorable for the
president and late into the day he still
hadn't had success. Determined to find a
suitable quarry for his president, guide
Holt Collier set off to find him a bear.
Tracking a 235 pound bear to a water hole,
he clubbed it over the head and tied it to a
tree. Roosevelt was then summoned to shoot
the bear and claim his prize. The president
was unimpressed by the bound, dazed, and
bleeding bear. Saying, "Spare the bear! I
will not shoot a tethered animal." He
refused his prize and forbade anyone else
from claiming it.
Reporters with the hunting party spread the
news of Roosevelt's fair play nationwide.
Among those inspired by the story was
political cartoonist Clifford Berryman.
Berryman drew a cartoon of the incident
portraying the tethered bear sitting
innocently with huge, scared eyes. The
cartoon captioned "Drawing the Line in
Mississippi" was featured on the front cover
of The Washington Post on November 16, 1902.
The cartoon was reprinted
in newspapers all over the country and
Roosevelt's popularity soared. For the
remainder of his political career his mascot
was Teddy's Bear and Berryman continued to
use it all his cartoons. It signified to the
public how Roosevelt could not be swayed
from doing what he thought was right. It is
debatable how much of a role it played in
his re-election in 1905.
As news spread of Roosevelt's adventure and
Berryman's cartoon the imagination of New
York toy storeowners Morris and Rose Michtom
was sparked. Using Berryman's Bear as a
guide, they designed a bear very unlike the
toy bears available at the time. Toy bears
were typically portrayed on all fours with
features similar to real bears. The Michtoms
new bear was sweet and cuddly, filled with
excelsior stuffing and adorned with black
buttons for eyes.
Rose
made two of the bears and they were placed
in the store's window. They became an
instant success. The Michtoms then asked
President Roosevelt for permission to call
the bears "Teddy's Bears" and the Teddy Bear
was born.
The demand for
Teddy's Bears was so strong that within a
year of its creation the Michtoms closed
their candy store. With the help of the
wholesale firm, Butler Brothers, the first
teddy bear manufacturer in the United States
was founded. They called it the Ideal
Novelty and Toy Company. It remained a
successful business and in 1938 changed its
name to Ideal Toy Company.
The term Teddy Bear (without the s) first
appeared in the October 1906 issue of
Playthings Magazine. Soon even the Steiff
Company was using it for their bears and it
became the accepted term.
The teddy bear is the most popular plush toy
and it's possible it's the most popular of
all toys. While other toys have enjoyed
their popularity and then disappeared, the
teddy bear has stood the test of time. They
are bought for our new babies, our friends,
and our loved ones. There just doesn't seem
to be an occasion where a teddy bear isn't
just the right gift. We dress them up, make
them musical, and treasure them as
collector's pieces and beloved friends.
Sharon Lauer is a free
lance writer and the marketing director for
www.everyoccasiongiftshop.com
and
www.simplythebestbaskets.com .
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Teddy Bear History
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