Did you know, the most lovable and recognized childhood icon of the 20th century -- the teddy bear -- has a deep connection with none other than Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States? Want to find out more?
In November 1902, Theodore (or 'Teddy' as he was affectionately called by his intimate circle) Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, was staying in Mississippi. Roosevelt was there to help settle a border dispute between Mississippi and Louisiana. In the spare time that he had in between attending important political matters, Roosevelt was invited by Mississippi Governor Andrew H. Longino to participate in a bear hunt in Mississippi, apparently one of the favourite sporting activities of the region.
Several other hunters were competing in this bear hunt and many were already proudly displaying their recent kills. However, much to the disappointment of his hosts, the hunt did not yield a kill. Eager to remedy the situation and wanting to avoid the embarrassment of having their distinguished guest return empty-handed, his hosts came up with a 'plan'.
The hunting guide and the hunting dogs managed to run to earth an old and wounded adult American Black bear who in any case offered little resistance to his tame capture. The captured bear was then tethered to a post and the President was invited to take a shot at it and kill it. Needless to add, President Roosevelt was horrified and flatly refused to play along, deeming it unsportsmanlike. Instead, he ordered the old and ailing bear to be put out of its misery. But the matter was not destined to rest there...
The story spread and caught the imagination of a political cartoonist, Clifford Berryman, who drew a faithful representation of the scene as it might have been. The cartoon, 'Spare the Bear' appeared on 16 November 1902 in the Washington Post, showing the 26th US President refusing to shoot the tame target. That set the ball rolling and soon cartoons of helpless bear cubs began to appear in other newspapers as well.
Sniffing a lucrative opportunity in the sudden bear mania, an astute Brooklyn shopkeeper, Morris Michtom, decided to display two stuffed toy bears made by his wife in his shop window. He asked permission from President Theodore Roosevelt to call these toy bears 'Teddy's bears'. Permission was granted, and the rest, as they say, is history. His teddy bear toys flew off the shelves, prompting Michtom to establish the Ideal Novelty and Toy Co., which still exists today.
Little they Michtom realize that he was creating history, and introducing to the world an icon that would go on to mesmerize generations of young and old alike as the all-time favourite childhood soft toy.
It was not just America that fell instantly in love with this adorable bear. Across the continent, in Germany, a physically challenged German seamstress, Margarette Steiff created a plush toy teddy bear for her catalogue for the Steiff company. They exhibited the toy at the Leipzig Toy Fair in March 1903 and exported 3000 to the United States, little knowing that the teddy had already captured the imagination of that country.
From then on, there was no looking back. Teddy bears had come into our lives and were here to stay...
From its somewhat dubious origins, the teddy bear has come to represent all that is good and pure and innocent in the world. A mandatory prop in every nursery and a cute and lovable gift for one's sweetheart, the teddy bear continues to rule hearts and minds.
Recognizing a huge potential market for these teddy bear toys, other manufacturers joined in the bear mania by 1906, along with original players Michtom and Steiff. The craze for teddy bears had reached a crescendo with women carrying them wherever they went and children being inseparable from their teddies. President Roosevelt used a teddy bear as his mascot in his bid for re-election.
American educator Seymour Eaton came up with the children's book series 'The Roosevelt Bears', which became a huge success.
The original teddy bear, made in 1903, was handed over to the Smithsonian by President Theodore Roosevelt's grandson, Kermit. Teddy bear enthusiasts can see this most famous bears of all time in the National Museum of American History.
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