How The Teddy Bear Story Began
The Teddy Bear Story all began on a bear hunt in Mississippi, on November 14, 1902. The Governor of Mississippi, Andrew H. Longino, invited President Theodore Roosevelt (a big game hunter) to join him and a party of fellow hunters on a bear hunt. But the President had an unsuccessful day. He was the only hunter in the group who had not been able to locate a single bear.
Roosevelt’s assistants, led by Holt Collier, a former cavalryman, managed to capture a black bear. They tied it to a willow tree and suggested to the President that he could shoot it. But Roosevelt thought this extremely unsporting, and refused to shoot the bear.
His stance was reported in newspaper articles, which swept the country with the story of how President Theodore Roosevelt, the big game hunter, had refused to shoot a bear. Clifford Berryman, a political cartoonist, read the story and drew a cartoon to satirise the event. Berryman’s cartoon was published in the “Washington Post”, on November 16, 1902.
The First Teddy Bear
When Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn candy shop owner, saw the cartoon, it gave him an idea. He and his wife Rose also produced stuffed animals. They decided to make a stuffed toy bear, and dedicate it to the president who refused to shoot a bear. Michtom called it “Teddy’s Bear”!
The little furry toy bears were very popular. So Michtom requested, and received, permission to use Roosevelt’s name for a mass produced toy bear. It was such a success that he founded the Ideal Toy Company. Richard Steiff also created a toy bear at this time for his aunt, Magarette Steiff’s company in Germany. But no original examples of this first Steiff bear survive today. Since then, the stuffed bear has become one of the most popular children’s toys in the world. It has been made in many different materials, such as velvet, wool and cotton towelling, in addition to naturalistic fur fabric.
Fictional Children’s Bears
The teddy bear soon entered into children’s fiction, with stories, films and songs. “The Teddy Bears’ Picnic” was composed in 1907 by John Walter Bratton. Well-loved teddy bear characters include the ever-popular Rupert. Created by Mary Tourtel in 1920 for the “Daily Express”, Rupert’s adventures continue to this day. In 1926, Winnie-the-Pooh made his first appearance in “Winnie-the-Pooh” by A.A. Milne, with endearing illustrations by E.H. Shepherd. “A Bear Called Paddington” was published in 1958, written by Michael Bond, and illustrated by Peggy Fortnum. And the popular teddy bear stories about Old Bear by Jane Hissey were first published from 1986.
Our collection of original children’s vintage greeting cards includes two lovely teddy bear style illustrations. The beautiful story card, “Goldilocks” shows three cute bears arriving home to discover an uninvited visitor in Baby Bear’s bed. And “In the Greenhouse” features Daddy Bear, the keen gardener, looking after his seedlings. Visit the Goldcrest Gallery Children’s Corner to find these charming teddy bear cards!