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Many of us have loved a teddy bear. Maybe we've even
had more than one very special "teddy" in
our lives. Here is the real story of how the teddy bear
sprang into our hearts.
Nearly 100 years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt,
went on a bear hunt. He enjoyed nature and being out
in the woods where animals lived. Because he was the
President of the United States, the people organizing
the hunt wanted to make sure the hunt was successful.
But after 3 days of walking and climbing and riding,
no bears were found. Now what? The President's bear
hunt would be a failure!
The next day the hunt guide and his hunting dogs finally
found an old bear. The dogs and guide followed the bear
for quite a distance until the bear was very, very tired.
The dogs attacked and injured the old bear. The guides
tied the bear to a tree and called for the President.
Here was a bear for him to shoot!
President Roosevelt looked at the poor old bear and
said "no!" No one would shoot this old bear
for sport. That would not be right. However, the bear
was injured and suffering. President Roosevelt ordered
that the bear be put down to end its pain.
A political cartoonist by the name of Clifford Berryman
heard this story. A political cartoonist draws about
current events in the news. Mr. Berryman drew a cartoon
showing how President Roosevelt refused to shoot the
bear while hunting in Mississippi.
If you look at the first cartoon that was printed about
the President's bear hunt you see Theodore Roosevelt
in the front. In the back is the guide with a bear tied
on a leash. Notice that the guide and the bear are about
the same size, suggesting a grown bear.
Look at the cartoon which appeared later in other
papers. It has been redrawn. The bear is smaller than
the guide. The bear is shaking with fear. This cute
bear cub began to appear in other cartoons which Clifford
Berryman drew throughout Theodore Roosevelt's career.
So that is how a bear became connected to the name of
President Theodore Roosevelt.
But where do toy "teddy bears" come from?
After this famous cartoon appeared in the papers, a
shopkeeper, Morris Michtom took two stuffed toy bears
which his wife had made and put them in his shop window.
He had an idea.
Mr. Michtom asked for permission from President Theodore
Roosevelt to call these toy bears "Teddy's bears".
This store eventually became the Ideal Novelty and Toy
Company.
Other stuffed animals were made by a German company,
Steiff. An illness left Margaret Steiff unable to walk.
She refused to be stopped by her handicap and earned
her living by sewing. First she made stuffed elephants,
then other animals. In 1903 an American saw a stuffed
bear she had made and ordered many of them.
The phrase caught on. Now toy bears are often called
teddy bears!
References:
Linda Mullins, The Teddy Bear Men: Theodore Roosevelt
& Clifford Berryman, Historical Guide for Collectors,
Hobby House Press, Inc, Cumberland, MD, 1987
Peggy & Alan Bialosky, Revised and Updated Edition,The
Teddy Bear Catalog, Workman Publishing, NewYork, 1980
Theodore Roosevelt Collection, Harvard College Library,
Cambridge, MA
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