National Teddy Bear Day

September 9th is National Teddy Bear Day. Toymakers Morris Michtom in the United States and Richard Steiff in Germany developed the toy around the same time without knowledge of the other. The teddy bear has become very popular and is featured in stories, books, toys, songs, and movies. It is considered a toy icon.

The bear gets its name from President Theodore Roosevelt who was often called "Teddy," although he hated the nickname. On a bear hunting trip to Mississippi, some of the men in Roosevelt's group chased a black bear, clubbed it, and tied it to a tree so the President could shoot it. But Roosevelt refused, thinking it was poor sportsmanship to kill the animal while it was bound. Cartoonish Clifford Berryman of the Washington Post published a political cartoon of the incident on November 16, 1902.

Morris Michtom saw the cartoon, and it inspired him to create the "teddy bear." He made a mockup and sent one to the President asking his permission for the name. The toys became such an overwhelming success, Michtom founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company in New York City. Meanwhile, in Germany, the Steiff company made a bear from Richard Steiff's design and exhibited the stuffed toy at the Leipzig Toy Fair in March of 1903. Both of these early bears are sought-after antiques today, and the Teddy bear remains popular with nearly 1.5 billion being sold worldwide each year. They have become popular, not only with children but also with adults, especially for special gifts.

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