How The Teddy Bear Got His Name

In 1902, the famous Steiff Company of Germanyactually came up with the name Teddy Bear as
invented the great teddy bear that the world hasyet another version of this story is, Morris
come to love and to cherish.  However, do weMichtom and his wife Rose, who ran a novelty
know how the Teddy got his name ?store in Brooklyn, New York saw Berryman's
We all know that the teddy bear was invented bycartoon and, the story goes, made a stuffed bear
Richard Steiff and that originally he was referredwhich they put in their shop window and beside
to as Petsy (after Meister Petz, an old fashionedthis bear they placed a card which read 'Teddy's
term for a bruin).  The name 'Teddy' however,Bear'.  It is said that almost immediately the bear
came from the United States from Theodoresold and so did several others that Rose
Roosevelt (1858 - 1919), who was known ashad made.
'Teddy' to his friends. It is very difficult to know if the Michtoms' little
Roosevelt as a child suffered from asthma and asbear resembled the bears produced by the Steiff
a young man, possibly because of his weakenedCompany in Germany as all Michtoms bears seem
childhood, became a bit of a fitness fanatic. to have become lost.  However, it seems highly
After studying at Harvard, he spent some timeunlikely that the Michtoms Bears were of the
working on a cattle ranch in Dakota.  He soonsame design as those of Steiff or that they were
became a rather dedictaed big-game hunter. even jointed, let alone jointed like the Steiff
Roosevelt's great passion for hunting was verybears.  Indeed there is no evidence to
well known and indeed, by the time he becamesubstantiate the Michtoms calling their bears
President he had even written a number of books'Teddy'.  A Brooklyn based company called Butler
on the subject.Brothers bought the right to use Michtoms Bears
In November 1902, (funnily enough the samehowever, and this collaboration resulted in the
year the teddy bear was invented by Steiff),start of the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company -
Roosevelt travelled to South America to arbitratethe very first American teddy bear
a dispute between the states of Louisiana andmanufacturer.
Mississipi. Of course, whilst there he went on aAnyway, back to Roosevelt.  The president was
bear hunting trip.  After days of hunting,extremely quick to recognise the appeal of the
Roosevelt still had no kill and so on the 14teddy bear and so he used him as a mascot for
November 1902, the hosts of his hunt searchedthe rest of his political life.  The Ideal Novelty and
for a bear for him to shoot, as they simply couldToy Co. actually produced some teddy bears to
not let him return home without a trophy. 'hand out' during the 1904 presidential Elections. 
Eventually they found an old bear which they thenThese bears were only 15 cms tall and had rather
tethered up for the President to shoot. large 'googly' eyes.
Roosevelt however, refused to shoot the bear.In 1906 the teddy bear became independent of
This incidence was reported by Clifford K.Roosevelt when the term 'teddy bear' was used
Berryman, who was a cartoonist for the famousin the American trade journal Playthings.  It was
Washington Post.  He drew a cartoon ofalso during this year that the teddy bear craze
Roosevelt and the bear and called it 'Drawing thereally took off in the United States.  In 1907,
Line in Mississipi'.  This cartoon depicted RooseveltJohn Bratton wrote the famous 'Teddy Bears
with his hand raised, refusing to shoot the bear. Picnic' (the lyrics were not added until 1930).  This
Just two days later this cartoon was printed inmusic was often played when Roosevelt entered
the Washington Post and it immediately attractedofficial functions.
major publicity.  Clifford K. Berryman also drew aFrom then on, reports came in from all over the
portrait of Roosevelt and a small bear, next toUnited States reporting that shops could simply
this sketch Berryman wrote 'Teddy Bear Nov.not keep up with the enormous demand for
1902', so this makes it more than likely thatthese cuddly toys called Teddy Bears.
Berryman first came up with the term 'Teddy'And the rest as they say - is HISTORY!
Bear.  However, no-one is really certain who