Teddy bears are the latest topic of discussion on TikTok, as people are just learning about how the cute stuffed animal was invented – and it’s an interesting story.
The teddy bear has a presidential connection as it was named in honor after president Theodore Roosevelt who led the country from 1901 to 1909.
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This was because the 26th US president refused to shoot a bear when on a hunting trip in Mississippi back in November 1902, according to HISTORY.
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The bear was tied to a willow tree by guides after they clubbed the animal and asked the president to shoot – an offer he declined because he believe it to be unsportsmanlike.
The moment gained widespread attention, and was turned into a political cartoon by Clifford Berryman in The Washington Post in November 1902 called: “Drawing the Line in Mississippi.”
Still life of a ‘Teddy’ Bear sitting with its tag describing the origin of the toy and US president Theodore Roosevelt, 1950s Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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As a result of the cartoon, people were inspired to make teddy bears – like shopkeeper Morris Michtom and his wife Rose from Brooklyn, New York who saw the cartoon and decided to make a stuffed fabric bear and display it in their shop window with a sign that read “Teddy bear.”
Due to the interest in their cute creation, the Michtoms reportedly wrote the president and got permission to use his name for the toy before starting their own successful company manufacturing teddy bears and toys.
At the same time and halfway across the world in Germany, seamstress Margarete Steiff founded a company in 1880 making her own soft toy.
Steiff’s nephew designed the bear who based it on actual bears he drew at the zoo and the plush bear made its first appearance at the Leipzig Toy Fair in March 1903.
A buyer for George Borgfeldt & Company in New York took interest in Steiff’s bears and ordered 3,000 of them to be sent to the US, as per The New York Times.
In 1906, the Steiff bears officially became known as teddy bears and were a popular purchase, obviously remaining a childhood staple to this day.
Both the Michtoms and Steiff are credited as inventors of the teddy bear since they were on other sides of the world so wouldn’t have known the other had invented something similar.
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In 2023, over 120 years later and Steiff continues to make teddy bears with their vintage bears being a collector’s item while Michtom no longer makes bears.
The story of how teddy bears were invented has been discussed on TikTok after a video by Antonio Parlati (@antonioparlati) explaining the backstory has nearly 250,000 views.
One person wrote in the comments: “Can’t believe I had no idea about this story! Thanks for sharing.”
“Amazing!!!! I didn’t know this fact!” another person said.
Someone else added: “I remember learning this in school a bazillion years ago, great story!”
“Hmm interesting I have always wondered,” a fourth person commented.
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Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY
