A Teddy Bear Love Affair

A positive relationship with a teddy bear is more important than you might think.

Millions of children around the world have had a beloved toys of this sort. These toys have been a great source of comfort and security for many children, keeping them safe at night and accompanying them on their daytime adventures. This relationship is probably due to the warm, cuddly nature of these companions which continue to pour out unconditional love whenever it is needed. In this way, the teddy bear ceases to be a mere toy, and assumes the position of a confidante and comforter.

The original stuffed toy of this kind was probably Teddy's Bear made by Rose Michtom in response to Clifford Berryman's cartoon of 1902 which showed President Theodore Roosevelt refusing to shoot a bear cub while on a hunting trip in Mississippi. This was the first toy bear that was made to look gentle and innocent and it obviously appealed to something in the human psyche. Since then, anyone taking ownership of one of these devoted friends seems to have imbued it with a life and character of its own. Like a trusted friend it travels along life's journey with its human companion, and acquires a common history making it the perfect recipient of its owner's hopes and fears and dreams.

For adults to admit to a relationship with a stuffed toy might not be easy, but when we realize how many famous people have come clean it is clear that it is perfectly acceptable to do so. Did you know, for example, that Dame Judy Dench, alias M in the James Bond movies collects teddy bears? Famous political figures who have admitted to loving their childhood bears include Margaret Thatcher, Earl Mountbatten, Dr Mo Mowlan and Queen Elizabeth. And Sir John Betjeman, a beloved poet laureate in Britain immortalised his favourite teddy in his poetry and held him in his arms as he died.

The positive nature of the relationship between people and their teddy bears has led researchers in robotics at MIT to create The Huggable. This is a responsive robotic companion with sensitive fur skin for therapeutic touch to help nurture the growing population of institutionalized elderly people worldwide who suffer from loneliness and lack of affection. This modern invention will no doubt have a positive impact on needy people, but it is a very sad commentary on the human condition in 21st century.