The Story Behind the name Teddy Bear

The Teddy Bear is a greatly adored stuffed toy among kids and other age groups too. A teddy bear is an imitation of a bear cub and now is available in many colors, shapes, and styles. But how did the stuffed toy imitation of the bear cub get the name teddy bear? The story dates back to the year 1902 when President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt went on a hunting trip in the state of Mississippi along with Governor Andrew H. Longino.

During the hunting session, one of Roosevelt’s attendants caught an American Black Bear and tied it to a willow tree. They asked the President to come and shoot it. Instead, Roosevelt said that he wouldn’t kill the bear because it would be considered unsportsmanlike as the bear was in a defenseless state. This incident caught the eyes of the journalists and newspapers. Clifford Berryman, a political cartoonist with The Washington Post, made a cartoon that depicted the frame of the incident.

Morris Michtom, a shopkeeper in Brooklyn, New York, made a stuffed toy of a bear cub and displayed it in their shop with the label ‘Teddy’s Bear’. They gave the name ‘Teddy’ as Theodore Roosevelt was commonly known as Teddy. This grabbed the people’s attention and became an instant success.

A German company by the name of Steiff Firm also started making these bears which were known as Steiff Bears. In 1906 these bears were officially called Teddy Bears and became popular internationally. They still continue to make Teddy Bears which are quite popular. The initial design of a Teddy Bear resembled a real bear but later on, they were given an element of cuteness and cute features which makes them so adorable. They are also designed to represent various other species like Polar Bear, Pandas, and Koalas.