The teddy bear, that cherished companion of both the young and old, seems always to have been around, played with by generations of children as far back as anyone can remember.
For collectors, it is difficult to believe that there was ever a time before they existed. Surprisingly, however, their origin is relatively modern and it is around 105 years old. Teddy bears became popular at the very beginning of the twentieth century.
Prior to their introduction, most toys for children were ordinary dolls and other plastic toys, usually given to both boys and girls to encourage nurturing instincts. The first stuffed animal toys were made in Germany in the latter part of the nineteenth century, generally consisting of felt-covered animals mounted on wheels.
As rigid pull toys rather than soft, huggable playthings, this type of stuffed toy virtually disappeared as the teddy bear craze caught the market.
The first teddy bears appeared in 1902. According to popular history, American president Theodore Roosevelt went on a hunting trip in Mississippi in November 1902 as a break from his ongoing efforts to resolve a border dispute between that state and Louisiana.
Most versions of the story agree that Teddy refused to shoot a bear that was captured for him. Roosevelt had already achieved fame as both an enthusiastic sportsman and conservationist. The episode inspired a cartoon by Clifford Berryman, entitled “drawing the Line at Mississippi,” published in the Washington Post.
Berryman continued to draw the scene (with different versions of the trapped bear) for several years after.
Shortly after the publication of the first cartoon, Russian immigrant Morris Michtom displayed a plush bear sewn by his wife Rose in the window of their Brooklyn novelty and stationery store with the label “Teddy's Bear.” The couple wrote to President Roosevelt asking for permission to use his name, which was readily granted.
The toy was immediately successful and the final design was successfully distributed in early 1903.The teddy bear became one of the most popular children's toys, as well as the center of a thriving collectibles market fueled primarily by adults. In general, stuffed toys automatically became enormously popular with both children and adults.
Teddy bears form part of the collections of the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood, in London, England, and the Margaret Woodbury Strong Museum in Rochester, New York, the finest publicly held collections of toys in the world.
Today teddy bears are a part of the global culture.
They are exchanged with girlfriends at Valentine's Day along with the traditional flowers and candies. They are given to babies to cuddle and grow up with. They show up in the hospital rooms of patients with get well cards. Collectors treasure them and Korea's teddy bear exhibition is one of the most extravagant toy shows in the world.
The teddy bear has struck an emotional and https://vimeo.com/gaubongmino deeply personal chord with people. It looks like these lovable toys will be with us for years to come.
