The Cuddly History of Teddy Bears

Teddy bears have become a common display in children's playrooms, toy shelves and even teenage girls' rooms. One wouldn't be surprised if a girl 13 years old still had a teddy bear beside her when she sleeps. If Mr. Bean can have his own teddy, why can't she?

While teddy bears have even come to replace some little boys' (and girls') old and reliable blankys, it's interesting to know how teddy bears all started.

Truth is, no one has exactly traced who manufactured the first teddy bear that came to existence. Its history dates back though during the day of the original life size and real "Teddy."

It was on November 14, 1902 when President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was helping to settle a border dispute between Louisiana and Mississippi. While on a hunting party during his spare time in Mississippi, the host of the said "party" offered a bear for President Theodore Roosevelt to shoot at. As the young wounded bear was captured and presented to him, President Theodore only felt pity and care for the bear, so he told his host that he refuses to shoot the helpless creature.

Two days after, Clifford Berryman, a cartoonist of Washington Post found inspiration from the bear incident and immortalized it by drawing a cartoon of President Theodore Roosevelt and the young bear. Berryman pictured President Roosevelt with a gesture of refusal to take the trophy shot at the helpless young bear. Underneath the cartoon, Berryman wrote the lines "Drawing the Line in Mississippi."

Berryman's cartoon immediately received attention and was widely reprinted. It was not long after when husband and wife Morris and Rose Michtom of Brooklyn New York recognized the immediate popularity of Berryman's cartoon. Rose made bears that looked exactly like Berryman's drawing and displayed it in their candy and novelty store. The couple named it "Teddy's bear" in remembrance of President Roosevelt's hunting incident.

With two brown button's sewn on Teddy's bear, it created two innocent eyes that made the bear look even more sweet, innocent and cuddly. Just like Berryman's cartoon, Rose's creation was not on all fours but was on upright position. Teddy's bear instantly became a hit and, thus, also marked the history in children's toys.

As the popularity of Teddy's bear came instantly, so was the demand for the stuffed toy. It didn't take long when the Michtoms had moved his novelty store to a loft, and registered his business under a new name which came to be Ideal Novelty and Toy Corporation.

Around the same time, the Teddy Bear was also born in Germany. The Steiff Company of Giengen manufactured their first jointed stuffed bears during the same year. Created by Margaret Steif, the stuffed bears we seen by an American buyer at the Leipzig fair in 1903. Several thousands of bears were immediately ordered and shipped to the U.S.