Teddy Bear

For more than a century, teddy bears have been the best loved, most purchased, and supremely cherished of all toys in the United States, Europe, and throughout much of the world. Teddies' fluffy, squishy, floppy bodies convey a sense of comfort, solace, and acceptance that appeals universally. Their wide-ranging appeal makes them the number one toy gift for both the sick and the well, for sweethearts and friends, and for males and females of all ages, and arctophiles (bear-loving collectors) fill their homes with teddies from every place and era. Teddy bears are so popular they are also the focus of countless stories, movies, and cartoons.

The only toy to be inextricably linked to a United States president, this stuffed animal was dubbed “Teddy” after an incident involving president Theodore Roosevelt and a wild bear. On a hunting trip in 1902, Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear that fellow hunters had captured and tethered to a tree. Though the actual incident involved a full-grown bear, cartoonist Clifford K. Berry-man's Washington Post illustration depicted the bear as a helpless little cub. The portrayal boosted the president's popularity and reputation as a compassionate sportsman and forever linked the president and bear cubs in Americans' minds. The toy itself was created nearly simultaneously in both the United States and in Germany.

Shortly after the Roosevelt bear encounter, Brooklyn candystore owner Morris Michtom decided to sell a number of his wife Rose's hand-stitched stuffed bears. Michtom's Teddy's Bear was a hit during the 1902 Christmas season and became the cornerstone of his Ideal Novelty and Toy Company. German dressmaker Margarete Steiff also found a lucrative market for her jointed, stuffed bear, Friend Petz, in America, which by 1903 was quite caught up in the stuffed-bear craze. Stories such as Seymour Eaton's rhyming tales of the “Roosevelt Bears,” and a number of bear novelty items such as postcards, holidays cards, and tea, clothing, and furniture sets for stuffed bears also helped to feed the craze.

Finished teddy bears on a work table in a New York City factory in 1915, just a few years after their introduction.

Over the years, teddy bear manufacturers have significantly modified the construction and physical appearance of these toys. Pre-World War I teddy bears, covered in mohair plush and stuffed with wood shavings or sawdust, looked somewhat realistic with long snouts, movable arms and legs, and humped backs. Some early bears were even scary with rolling glass eyes, sharp wooden teeth, and internal growler boxes that made noise when the bear moved. Teddies changed slightly during the interwar years, and by World War II, manufacturers moved toward synthetic materials for both coverings and stuffing. Most teddies took on a plumper, less realistic appearance, becoming increasingly softer and more cuddly.

Children's stories about bears like Winnie the Pooh, Paddington, and Corduroy continue to be popular, as do stuffed likenesses of these characters. Teddy bears are not only popular toys but, as symbols of comfort and solace, are used to comfort war refugees, fire victims, and severely ill children. Many children have spent hours playing with and confiding in their stuffed teddy bears, and indeed, many adults still possess at least one of these childhood favorites.

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