The much loved and widely collected teddy bears have a history dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. There is no denying the appeal of the cuddly toys. Here are some interesting facts about teddy bears.
The teddy bear got its name from President Theodore Roosevelt. On a political trip involving a dispute over the border between Louisiana and Mississippi, Roosevelt went on a side hunting outing in 1903, in Mississippi. Teddy Roosevelt refused to shoot a helpless black bear cub, which had been chained to a tree for him by his hosts. They wanted to ensure he would bag a hunting prize.
A political cartoon done by Clifford Barryman, portrayed the event reflecting both the bear and the border dispute. The caption read “Drawing the line in Mississippi”.
A man named Morris Michtom and his wife created a pair of stuffed bears to put in their shop window. They were an instant hit. With permission from President Roosevelt, they were given the name “Teddy’s” Bears.
The shop became the Ideal Novelty and Toy company in 1907. That in turn became The Ideal Toy Company in 1938.
Before the advent of the upright teddy bears, the Steiff toy company of Germany, had produced stuffed bears on all fours. They were mounted on a base with wheels to be pulled around. At about the same time, the Michtoms created the first teddy bears, the Steiff company was making their own version in Germany in 1902.
Richard Steiff, the nephew of the Steiff owner Margarete, went to a The Stuttgart Zoo and drew up plans for the new upright teddy bears. Steiff bears are often considered more realistic, having humps on their backs.
Although teddy bears are both jointed and not jointed, the very first jointed ones were created by The Steiff Company. The bears were not popular when they were first created by Steiff, but with the success of The Michtoms bears, a New York wholesaler named Hermann Berg was attending a toy show in Leipzig. He purchased a large shipment of the Steiff bears to import to the United States.
From there other companies began to create their own versions of the increasingly popular “teddy’s bears”. The name was soon shortened to the now used ” Teddy Bear”.
In recent years collectible bears have sold for astronomical prices at auctions. In 1989 a Steiff bear sold for $88,000 in a Sotheby’s London auction.
Not to be outdone by the 1989 auction, more recent auctions have reportedly sold teddy bears for even more exorbitant prices.
The most expensive recently created bear, is also one made by the Steiff company. It is called The 125 Carat Teddy Bear. The fur is made with raw silk, mohair and real gold threads attached by hand. The eyes are made with 18kt gold imbedded with 20 small diamonds and pupils made of sapphires. The mouth is made of gold, as are the anniversary tag around its neck and the trademark Steiff ear tag. There were only 125 produced in this limited edition of teddy bears.
What was claimed to be the biggest bear collection in the world was owned by The Teddy Bear Museum in Stratford-upon-Avon. It consisted of about 2,000 bears. Some of them are valuable British and German, bears worth thousands of pounds. The collection was put up for auction in 2007, by Christie’s auction house, when the owners could no longer run the museum. The Volpps, the people who purchased the $88,000 bear at auction, profess to own more than 5,000 teddy bears.
Perhaps the most famous teddy bear is Winnie The Pooh. The original Winnie the Pooh teddy bear was made by the British company Farnell in 1921. After visits to see the then famous live bear in The London Zoo, the bear was renamed Winnie.
(For a brief history of Winnie the Pooh, read the Associated Content article “The Origins of Winnie the Pooh”. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/546951/the_origins_of_winnie_the_pooh.html)
Teddy bears are a source of comfort and warmth. They are even used by police to help calm children who have been traumatized by accidents and crimes.
Teddy bears are now produced by companies in many parts of the world. They are treasured by adults and children alike.
