The first “teddy bear” went on sale on this day, February 15, 1903.
The teddy bear, named after President Theodore Roosevelt, was first sold by Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn, New York, resident who owned a candy store, the National Park Service (NPS) website says. .
Michtom's wife Rose, who made stuffed toys, created the first teddy bears.
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Michtom was inspired to call the toys “teddy bears” after reading a political cartoon published in the Washington Post on Nov. 16, 1902, the park service website notes.
The cartoon was drawn by artist Clifford Berryman. He satirized an incident during a hunting trip in Mississippi in which Roosevelt refused to shoot and kill a black bear that had been tied to a willow tree.
The first teddy bear went on sale on this day, February 15, 1903. (iStock)
Roosevelt was known for being a skilled hunter.
He thought it was “extremely unsportsmanlike” to shoot a bear that had been tied up, the NPS website says.
“I have hunted all over the United States and I am proud to be a hunter. But I couldn't be proud of myself if I shot an old, tired, worn-out bear that was tied to a tree,” Roosevelt wrote. he said at the time.
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News of Roosevelt's refusal to shoot the bear quickly spread throughout the country, leading to the cartoon and, eventually, the stuffed animal.
“Michtom decided to create a teddy bear and dedicate it to the president who refused to shoot a bear,” the site says.
President Theodore Roosevelt gave Morris Michtom permission to use his nickname, “Teddy,” for the new teddy bears. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Rose Michtom “cut some pieces of fabric, sewed on some button eyes, and put them in the window with the name 'Teddy's Bear.' It was an overnight success,” says the Carnegie Museum of Natural History's website.
The president later gave Michtom permission to use his nickname for the new product, and the toys quickly became popular, the museum notes.
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The success of the teddy bear marked a change in the Michtoms' career.
The president later gave Michtom permission to use his nickname for the new product.
In 1907, Michtom and his wife founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Co.
Although the company initially focused on teddy bears, it eventually became known for producing a series of collectible dolls, says the Collector's Weekly website.
The success of the teddy bear marked a career change for the Michtoms, who previously owned a candy store. They soon moved on to making and selling toys, according to Collector's Weekly. (iStock)
The teddy bear's popularity over traditional dolls also sparked concern from at least one figure, the Smithsonian American History Museum website notes.
In 1908, five years after the toy was first sold, a Michigan minister “warned that replacing dolls with toy bears would destroy girls' maternal instincts,” the Smithsonian said.
In 1963, for the teddy bear's 60th birthday, Benjamin Michtom, son of Rose and Morris Michtom, attempted to match the original bear with a descendant of its namesake.
“What does a 79-year-old doll want with a 60-year-old bear?”
“He first contacted Mrs. Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Teddy Roosevelt's daughter, to offer her one of the original teddy bears if she would pose with him,” the Smithsonian says.
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Longworth apparently rejected the offer, allegedly asking, “What does a 79-year-old doll want with a 60-year-old bear?”
Undeterred, Benjamin Michtom approached Kermit Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt's grandson, and asked if he would allow his children to be photographed with the bear, the Smithsonian reported.
Theodore Roosevelt's grandchildren participated in a photo session with the original teddy bear and refused to part with it, taking it home, according to the Smithsonian. (Stock; Getty)
Benjamin Michtom intended to deliver the bear to the Smithsonian Institution after the photo session, but Mark and Anne Roosevelt had other plans.
They liked the bear and hid it from their parents.
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“A letter from Mrs. Roosevelt to Mr. Michtom said, 'I was about to contact the Smithsonian to present the original bear when the children decided they did not want to part with it yet,'” the Smithsonian said.
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Ultimately, the original teddy bear was given to the Smithsonian Institution in January 1964, the website notes.
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