Sat Nov 21 2009
Teddy bears have stood the test of time and are as popular today as they were more than 100 years ago. The teddy bear has been a lasting pop-culture symbol in the United States that has lived to outlast its namesake and inspiration. There are several versions of the story of how the teddy bear as we know it came to be.
History of the Teddy Bear
According to the National Park Service, the story of Teddy’s Bear dates back to November of 1902. President Theodore Roosevelt was a renowned hunting enthusiast. He had been invited to be part of a bear hunt near the Smedes, Miss.
At first, the President had little luck during the hunt. One member of the hunting expedition, Holt Collier, was set on finding a suitable bear for Roosevelt. Collier followed a 235-pound bear to a watering hole where he surprised the ill-fated bear by clubbing it over the head and tied it to a tree.
When President Roosevelt arrived, the injured and restrained bear did not impress him. He enjoyed the physical challenge and pursuit of hunting, and Roosevelt famously refused to claim the captured bear for himself. Sadly, dogs had mauled the bear. Roosevelt, seeing the condition of the injured bear, asked that the animal be put out of its misery.
News and stories of President Roosevelt’s actions spread nationwide. Clifford Berryman, a Washington Post political cartoonist, heard about the incident and drew a cartoon depicting Roosevelt refusing to accept the bear as a trophy of his hunting expedition. Morris and Rose Michtom, storeowners from New York City, saw the popular “Drawing the Line in Mississippi” cartoon and were inspired to create a new toy of a small stuffed bear.
The toys were advertised in the store with a sign that read “Teddy’s Bear.” The Michtom family claimed to have written to Roosevelt and received permission to attach his name to the toy. “Teddy’s Bear” swiftly became a nation-wide fad. The toys were an instant success. Subsequently, Michtom founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company.
However, the United States cannot fully claim to have been the home of the first teddy bear. While the teddy bear trend was starting to pick up in America, a toy factory in Germany, owned by seamstress Margarete Steiff, produced a plush, jointed bear.
Her nephew, Richard Steiff, designed the “Bear 55PB” in 1902. These bears featured moveable arms and legs. Later, a trademark button in the left ear was added to keep counterfeits from being passed off as authentic Steiff toys.
Richard Steiff showcased the bears at a toy trade fair in Leipzig, Germany. American wholesaler, George Borgfeldt, discovered the bears at the show and ordered 3,000 of them. The bears were a huge success in the United States. The Margarete Steiff GmbH Company still operates under Margarete’s philosophy that “for children only the best is good enough.”
Teddy Bears in pop culture
The teddy bear craze did not stop with stuffed animals and toys. In 1905 and 1906, Seymour Eaton wrote the children’s book series called The Roosevelt Bears. The stories were about the adventures of two bears that enjoyed eating, playing, and pulling pranks.
At first, Eaton used the pseudonym “Paul Piper” while writing The Roosevelt Bears, because he did not want to ruin his reputation as a credible author of mature topics. As the success of his children’s stories became obvious, Eaton began to credit himself as the author.
In 1907, American composer John Walter Bratton wrote “The Teddy Bear Two Step.” In the 1930s, songwriter Jimmy Kennedy would write words to the song and it became known as “The Teddy Bear’s Picnic.”
Overseas in England, Christopher Robin Milne received a teddy bear in 1921 as a first birthday present from his mother. Five years later his father, A.A. Milne, began to publish the Winnie-the-Pooh books about his son’s adventures with his bear and his other stuffed animals that inspired the characters of Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger, Kanga and Roo.
The Winnie-the-Pooh books had also been favorites of Walt Disney’s daughters and it inspired Disney to bring Pooh to film in 1966. Today, you can see the original toys that inspired the Winnie-the-Pooh books on display in the Central Children’s Room of the Donnell Branch of the New York Public Library in New York City.
Smokey Bear (frequently referred to as Smokey the Bear) was born Aug. 9, 1944 when his first poster was released depicting him wearing blue jeans and a ranger’s hat while putting out a campfire with a bucket of water. He is the mascot of the United States Forest Service.
Smokey Bear is one of the most famous advertising symbols in the world and is protected by Federal Law. He was given his own zip code in the 1960s in order to accommodate the massive amounts of fan mail he received.
In 1958, A Bear Called Paddington was published and was followed by 14 more Paddington books. The English author, Michael Bond, based Paddington Bear on a teddy bear he saw on Christmas Eve 1956 in a London store near Paddington Station. Bond purchased the bear as a gift for his wife.
The stuffed toy inspired him to write a story about the bear. In 10 days, he had written the first book. He later said, “It wasn’t written specifically for children, but I think I put into it the kind of things I liked reading about when I was young.”
In 1962, Stan and Jan Berenstain published The Big Honey Hunt with the editorship of Dr. Seuss. The children’s book introduced the Bear family consisting of Papa, Mama, and Small Bear “who live down a sunny dirt road deep in Bear Country.” Twelve years later, Small Bear became known as Brother Bear with the birth of Sister Bear. The Berenstain Bears series remains popular today with approximately 260 million copies sold.
Corduroy was published in 1968. The story is about a loveable department store teddy bear purchased by a little girl named Lisa. The author, Don Freeman, wrote over 20 children’s books. A decade later, A Pocket for Corduroy was released and chronicles his experiences when Lisa accidentally leaves him at a laundromat. Corduroy was popular enough to have a “made-for-television” movie and a television series created for him.
The list of famous bears goes on and on. Regardless of what generation you belong to, teddy bears have probably had some presence in your life.
Elvis Presley even sang a song titled after the lovable stuffed animal. It is hard to imagine a childhood without the company of characters such as Care Bears, Yogi Bear, or Teddy Ruxpin. Teddy bears even have their place in the grocery store with Gummi Bears and Teddy Grahams. Today, friendly fictional bears are used in advertising fabric softener, ice cream, toilet paper, cereal, and soft drinks.
About the author
Beth Caffery is a native of Peoria, Ill. She completed her undergraduate work at Saint Louis University and graduated with a master’s degree in history from Illinois State University with an emphasis in museum studies. Her previous experiences in the museum field include projects in Illinois, Missouri, and Ireland.
Caffery began her career as a museum professional as the Curator of Collections at Liberty Hall Historic Site in September 2008. She manages the museum collection, creates exhibits, and is actively researching early 19th century interiors for the continuing restoration of Liberty Hall.
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