National Teddy Bear Day
September 9th is National Teddy Bear Day and a reminder that the beloved stuffed toy was named for President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt.
In 1902 The President was in Mississippi on a bear hunting trip with Governor Andrew H. Longino. In four days TR came up empty. Not wanting the president to return to Washington without a trophy they sent out the dogs and found an old papa bear on his last legs. They tied it to a tree, hit it on top of the head and told TR to take his best shot. TR refused to shoot the dying animal calling it “unsportsmanlike and not a fair chase” walked away without firing a shot.
Political cartoonist Clifford Berryman soon satirized the event drew a cartoon where TR refused to shoot a baby cub bear walking away with the caption, “He’s drawing a line in the sand.” The cartoon was published November 16th, 1902 and made national news. It instantly became a political icon.
In addition to becoming a political icon, it became the most popular toy on the market and perhaps America's most popular toy of all time. These sculpted figures are in the town of Dunedin, Florida and depict a mother running to catch a train holding her daughter's hand as she holds onto her Teddy Bear.
The toy business began when Morris Michtom, a novelty shop owner in Brooklyn, saw Berryman's cartoon and thought he could sell a stuffed copy of the bear as a toy. He sent a letter to the president along with a sample bear asking if he had any objection to him calling the bears "Teddy’s Bears.” TR didn’t object and the Teddy Bear was born and on its way to becoming an America icon.
