Why Do We Call Them Teddy Bears?

Well, let's question the Teddy Bear. The Teddy Bear is not an uncommon toy. Even if you have never owned one, you would still know what the teddy bear is. This is the same toy that comforts your child as they sleep and the same sweet gift you give to your special someone to show them just how much you care. There is no age limit for teddy bears and it is one toy that is shown constant love and appreciation. With something so common and so loved, one might question one thing: Why is this stuffed bear named Teddy?

Well, that answer is not so difficult if you have knowledge of the 26th President of the United States. That man was Theodore Roosevelt. He was also affectionately known as Teddy. In November of 1902, Roosevelt was in Mississippi attempting to help settle a border dispute between Mississippi and Louisiana. It wasn't all business though. During his stay, his hosts invited him to go bear hunting. Roosevelt was known for his love of big game and accepted the invitation. The hunting was not very successful and Roosevelt's hosts only wanted to please him. They captured a helpless bear cub and tied it to a tree. They invited Roosevelt to shoot the cub in hopes that the kill would please him. They were quite shocked when the president refused to shoot the helpless animal. This one extreme act of humane behavior inspired a cartoonist by the name of Clifford Berryman to draw a cartoon titled Drawing the Line in Mississippi.

Berryman's cartoon depicted President Roosevelt drawing the line in Mississippi not only for helping with a border dispute, but for drawing the line by refusing to shoot a helpless animal. It showed Roosevelt with his gun in his hand turning his back to the poor tied up bear cub. This cartoon appeared in The Washington Post on November 16, 1902 and this caught the attention of many people in the public. One man in particular, Morris Michtom, found it to be an inspiring piece. With the help of his wife, Michtom decided to create a new toy. He created a little stuffed bear cub.

Michtom owned a candy store and for a display he decided to place a copy of the Berryman cartoon and his new creation in the window. He had no idea that others would share such an interest in his new creation. He soon found that the public had a large demand to buy his stuffed bear toys. He decided that his creation needed a name. Michtom wrote to the president and explained that he wanted to name his toy after the person who inspired it. He wanted to call it the Teddy Bear. He was granted permission and soon began selling many Teddy Bears. Michtom's creation became a success quickly and he founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy company.

At the same time, a woman in Germany also was creating stuffed bear toys. That woman was Margarete Steiff. He was not aware of Michtom's creation across the world until he later joined in on the new craze. In 1903, he exported 3,000 of his design into the United States. Companies began popping up everywhere. The bear went from a scary and ferocious creature to a huggable and lovable image. This was all thanks to the humane act of our 26th President drawing the line. He refused to harm an innocent and helpless creature.

For more information, you can view the sites where I received my information from:

References:
1. http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/searchimages/images/image_9213_23904.htm
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teddy_bear
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt
4. http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventions/a/Teddy_Bear.htm
5. http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Michtoms.html
6. http://www.teddybearandfriends.com/archive/articles/history.html
7. http://www.theteddybearmuseum.com/history.htm