Website design By BotEap.comIt’s hard to imagine a world of stuffed animals without teddy bears; they are a staple of every toy collection. Oddly enough, the teddy bear did not simply develop as a stuffed version of a real bear. In fact, the teddy bear has only been around since the early years of the 20th century.

Website design By BotEap.comAccording to most sources, the teddy bear first appeared in both the United States and Germany in 1902. Popular accounts of the bear’s initial appearance in North America with a cartoon drawn by Clifford Berryman, called “Drawing the line at Mississippi”. The comic featured then-President Theodore Roosevelt refusing to shoot a cute-looking little bear. As legend has it, Roosevelt had visited Mississippi to assist in a border dispute and was taken bear hunting along the way. Berryman was inspired to create the cartoon, which features an account of Roosevelt’s failed hunting experience and his attempt to play mediator.

Website design By BotEap.comThe cartoon appeared in The Washington Post in late 1902 and was an instant hit with readers, leading to its eventual national publication. Even Brooklyn-based Morris and Rose Michtom were motivated to design a stuffed animal to mirror the drawing, calling it “Teddy Bear.” The Michtoms placed the bear in their store window, and its popularity grew so rapidly that, along with the Butler brothers, they helped establish the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company, the first American manufacturer dedicated to the production of teddy bears.

Website design By BotEap.comAt the same time, Margarete Steiff and her nephew Richard Steiff were involved in the stuffed toy business in Germany. Ironically, Richard created a new stuffed animal design that featured a softer-looking teddy bear, similar to Michtom’s. Today, it’s easy for designers and developers to research toy ideas and determine if something has already been done, but in the early 20th century, it was highly likely that neither designer would be aware of the other’s progress.

Website design By BotEap.comThe following year, the Steiffs unveiled their first bear, “Baer 55PB”, at a toy fair. An American toy buyer saw the bear and was instantly intrigued, due to the teddy bear craze sweeping his home country at the time.

Website design By BotEap.comIt was only 4 years after the creation of the first teddy bear that its popularity grew incredibly. Teddy bears appeared on household products and collectibles, magazines were produced, and songs were developed in honor of the latest bear craze. Of course, teddy bears were a hit with children, who reveled in the cuteness and cuteness of the teddy bear as we know it today.