With Valentine’s Day right around the corner and fuzzy Teddy Bears lining the aisles of every retailer in the U.S., many people have started to wonder about the origins of this classic plush toy.
If you are a big fan of TikTok, you may have even seen some new videos circulating throughout the platform discussing this very topic.
Now, online, content creators have drawn a distinct connection between former President Theodore Roosevelt and the popular children’s toy. But is this origin story really true?
The History Of The Teddy Bear
If you have backed up the Theodore Roosevelt theory on social media, then you can rest assured– because it is correct!
However, to understand how plush teddy bears got thrown into the presidential mix, we will have to travel back to 1901.
That year, Theodore Roosevelt– commonly referred to as Teddy– was inaugurated as the 26th President of the United States. Aside from his political endeavors, he was also a naturalist and avid outdoorsman who loved to explore new environments.
So, during his presidency, Roosevelt prioritized the protection of over 200 million acres of public land. He also established the U.S. Forest Service and five National Parks.
Then, in the fall of 1902, Roosevelt received an invitation to go hunting with Mississippi governor Andrew Longino. He ultimately accepted, and during the trip, they had a hunting guide named Holt Collier.
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Now, Holt reportedly knew the land very well and was determined to help Roosevelt locate a black bear. By the second day of their trip, this goal appeared to be coming to fruition, too.
After Holt spotted a black bear, though, he realized that Roosevelt was much further behind. So, Holt made the decision to tie the bear up and wait for Roosevelt to arrive.
Once Roosevelt reached Holt, though, he was shell-shocked by what the guide had done. In fact, he reportedly did not appreciate his guide’s efforts and claimed that hunting the bear while it was already restrained would be unsportsmanlike.
Then, following Roosevelt’s hunting trip, word of his compassion and commitment to sportsmanship spread like wildfire throughout the country– even prompting a classic historical cartoon to be created by Clifford Berryman of the Washington Post.
Rose and Morris Michtom, a couple from Brooklyn, New York, also ended up seeing that very cartoon. And since they already owned a penny candy shop, the couple decided to make a stuffed plush bear for fun. Then, they opted to display it in the window of their shop in order to honor the President. To make the toy, Rose cut up some pieces of fabric, sewed on button eyes, and named it “Teddy’s Bear.” And once the toy was displayed in the penny candy shop’s window, it was an overnight success.
In fact, Rose and Morris’ teddy bear became so popular that they actually had to ask President Roosevelt if they could use his name. Thankfully, Roosevelt agreed, and the Michtom’s business ultimately took off.
The idea of plush teddy bears was actually so successful that Rose and Morris decided to scale back on selling candy. Instead, they decided to launch the Ideal Toy Company– which eventually produced a decades-long love of teddy bears throughout the United States.
And now, with Valentine’s Day in just one week, there are countless different teddy bears to choose from in retailers, big and small. From various sizes and shapes to colors and patterns, teddy bears have become the go-to gift for showing love to both children and adults everywhere. But, the next time you head to the toy store, remember that the classic brown teddy bear is what started it all.
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