Articles on Toys | Topics: toys, toy
by Dagmar Velasquez
Who can imagine a world without teddy bears? The soft, cuddly toys have long been a symbol of childhood innocence and security. In fact, most adults can recall a special teddy bear that slept at their side, that comforted when they were afraid, a mainstay of childhood. Here is a brief history of how these special stuffed animals became one of our most cherished childhood toys.
The Early Years of the Teddy Bear
The teddy bear as we know it first emerged at the very beginning of the twentieth century. The celebrated tale goes that the modern teddy bear can be traced back to a famous newspaper cartoon drawn by Clifford Berryman. The cartoon was titled "Drawing the Line in Mississippi." The drawing depicts then-President Theodore Roosevelt who had traveled down to Mississippi to help settle a boundary dispute. According to the story, after the boundary dispute had been settled, President Roosevelt's hosts had taken him bear hunting. The hunt was meager, with no large ferocious bears in sight. Finally, one of his hosts had managed to wrangle up a small cub for President Roosevelt to shoot. President Roosevelt however refused to shoot the unimposing creature.
Clifford Berryman's drawing depicts President Roosevelt refusing to shoot the innocent cub. After the initial publication of Berryman's cartoon in the Washington Post on November 16, 1902, the image was reprinted and circulated widely. Morris and Rose Michtom of Brooklyn, New York, who owned their own candy and stationery store, created a sweet and innocent-looking bear that they nicknamed "Teddy's Bear." They placed it in the storefront window. The demand for the sweet and cuddly bear was so great that the Mictom's eventually went into business with the a wholesale firm named the Butler Brothers. Together they formed the first teddy bear manufacturing company in the United States, the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company.
The German Connection
The story of the teddy bear becomes even more interesting and complicated. Apparently, at about the same time the teddy bear was sweeping America, a young German art student named Richard Steiff was inventing the German equivalent of the teddy bear. Steiff liked to visit the Stuttgart Zoo to sketch the animals. Steiff's firm began to design stuffed animals based on his sketches and designs. 1n 1902, Steiff and his colleagues produced a sweet-looking bear that very much resembled the Brooklyn-born teddy bear. However, the Steiff bear had a longer snout and was more faithful to the real creature.
Although Steiff's bear did not receive much attention when it was first displayed at the Leipzig Toy Fair, an American buyer just happened to be in attendance. Knowing how popular teddy bears were becoming in America, the buyer ordered 3,000 bears.
| Bit of History |
Will you buy any tape,
Or lace for your cape,
My dainty duck, my dear-a?
Any silk, and thread,
And toys for your head,
Of the new’st and finest, finest wear-a?
Come to the pedlar;
Money’s a meddler,
That doth utter all men’s ware-a.
| —William Shakespeare (1564–1616) |
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The First Craze of Teddy Bear Mania
The first years of the twentieth century saw the first wave of teddy bear mania. President Roosevelt made the bear the official mascot of his re-election campaign, and won. Children had their pictures taken with their beloved teddy bear's, and upper class society ladies carried their soft bears to social engagements. Teddy bear picture books became popular, and American composer J.K. Bratton wrote the song that would eventually became "The Teddy Bear's Picnic." By the 1920s, dozes teddy bear manufacturers had began producing their own versions of the teddy bear. Teddy bears of different sizes, textures, colors, and styles were produced. The depression slowed the production of teddy bear's, but the most popular and successful businesses persevered.
The Teddy Bear Downturn and Resurgence
The popularity of the teddy bear waned during the post-war years. The hand-stitched bears that had once been the standard became mass-produced and washable. In the late 1970s, the teddy bear began to make its comeback. Teddy bear enthusiast and master doll maker Beverly Port created a hand-finished teddy bear that she named Theodore B. Bear. Her enthusiasm for traditional teddy bears spread, and soon other popular doll makers began to produce teddy bears.
Today, the teddy bear is more popular than ever. Older teddy bears have become highly sought after items, and newer teddy bears come in all kinds of colors, shapes, and designs. The teddy bear has attained iconic status, and continues to be a symbol of youth, innocence, and comfort.
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