Teddy Bears - General

In 1902, United States President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was on a hunting trip in Mississippi. A black bear had been provided as a target for the president to shoot. The president considered it unsportsmanlike to shoot the animal and refused to do so. The event was widely publicized by a cartoon that appeared in the Washington Post the following day. The bear appeared in political cartoons and became known as "Teddy's bear." Soon, stuffed toy bears were modeled after the cartoon. Eventually, the toys were known simply as teddy bears.

Morris Michtom, founder of the Ideal Toy and Novelty company, asked permission from the president to sell toy bears made by his wife Rose as "teddy bears." The bears became widely popular and the Michtoms eventually founded Ideal to accommodate production. While the Michtoms are credited with inventing the teddy bear, historical documentation shows that the Steiff company of Germany actually produced toy teddy bears before the Michtoms.

Teddy bears were very popular prior to World War II. After the war, however, stuffed animals began to be produced using synthetic materials. Interest in teddy bears declined in the '60s, but vintage teddy bears became popular again in the '80s.

Quick Facts

• The bear that was captured for President Roosevelt was an old, crippled black bear. The media transformed this bear into the cute little bear cub pictured in the papers
• Jointed teddy bears enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in part due to the plush designs of specialty collections such as Boyd's Bears. These teddy bears were made in the style of the original teddy bears rather than modern plush toys
• Plush toy manufacturer Gund produces a high-end teddy bear called Snuffles. This bear has a 10-carat diamond necklace with a white-gold chain and eyes made of Tahitian black pearls. Snuffles retails for $10,000