History of the Teddy Bear
Although teddy bears and other stuffed animals have been around for all of our lives, it was not until 1902 that the first teddy bear was invented. The name "Teddy Bear" was inspired by Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States. It is believed that Roosevelt was on a hunting trip and ordered a mercy killing on a cub. Another story is believed that people hunting with Roosevelt felt bad that he had not found a single bear. His group is believed to have tied up a bear without him knowing and told him to shoot it. Roosevelt felt it was unfair and refused. When a cartoonist heard the story, he created a political cartoon of Roosevelt and a baby bear and published it in newspapers around the country. Morris Mitchom and his wife got the idea of creating a stuffed toy bear. Mitchom owned a toy store in Brooklyn, New York. He even wrote to President Roosevelt asking if he could name his new toy after him. When the teddy bears became a hit he created his very own company. All stuffed animals today regardless of what kind of animal it is, can be traced back to the teddy bear, and to President Theodore Roosevelt.
http://www.nps.gov/thrb/historyculture/storyofteddybear.htm
http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventions/a/Teddy_Bear.htm
Interesting story. I like it.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is very interesting. I've never known of the history of how the teddy bear name originated.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I never would have thought that it had anything to do with Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. Thank you for sharing that.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the above comments that this is very interesting. I would never have thought to look up the history of a teddy bear. Like you said, they have been around my whole life and i figured them to be just a cuddly toy for a child. However, they apparently have a very interesting history. Thanks for sharing!
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