The Teddy Bear got it's name from United States President "Teddy" Roosevelt. He refused to shoot a small bear which was being held for him while out on a hunting trip. Several hunters who were hunting with him got a bear but Roosevelt had no luck with his hunt. Some of his retinue, led by Holt Collier tied a black bear cub to a tree. then took Roosevelt to the bear so he could shoot it. The president refused to shoot th poor little beare bear saying that this wa verys unsportsmanlike. This event became the subject of a cartoon drawing by Clifford Berryman in the Washington Post newspaper.
Morris Michtom, inspired by the cartoon created a toy bear. He placed the stuffed bear cub in his store window with a sign saying "Teddy's bear". The bears were a great success, and Michtom started the Ideal Novelty and Toy Co. to make them.
The Steiff company across the ocean in Germany, brought out a stuffed toy bear from Richard Steiff's designs and ideas. At the Leipzig Toy Fair in the year 1903 over 3000 Steiff bears were ordered for export to the United States.
Steiff in Germany and Michtom in the USA both started making bears at about the same time. Neither of these two companies knew of the other due to slow international communications at that early time. Some say that Steiff made the first bear and others contend that Michton's bear was first.
Very soon other manufacturers seeing the demand for bears, entered into making them. Ladies were seen carrying them around and many, children were playing with with them, and Roosevelt even used a Teddy bear as a mascot in his campaign for re-election to the office of president..
Seymour Eaton was the author of a children's book series called The Roosevelt Bears. John Bratton wrote "The Teddy Bear Two Step" dance which was teamed up with Jimmy Kennedy's lyrics, to become the famous song "The Teddy Bears' Picnic".
Most teddy bears made at this time looked like real bears, with long noses and black beady eyes. Modern teddy bears tend to have bigger eyes and smaller,shorter noses with cute babylike features to make them attractive to buyers.
Where can you go to buy good Teddy bears? You will find an amazing selection of bears at low discouned prices through this link to Amazon: Teddy bears
