Teddy Bear

Teddy bears—soft, fabric-covered children’s toys, sometimes with jointed limbs, in the shape of a bear—date back to the start of the 20th century and remain a popular commercial children’s toy in Europe and the United States. In addition to being available from general toy retailers, there are a number of specialist teddy bear producers, including Steiff (Germany) and Build-A-Bear (United States). The first English-language record of the term is from 1906, some 3–4 years after their first production. The Oxford English Dictionary records the ‘American Stationer’ reporting on the rapid popularisation of the toy. In addition to this enduring appeal as an object, teddy bears can be found across popular culture, including in fiction, television, film, and music. Despite this, no systematic scholarly study of ...