It turns out that this week (Monday, actually) could be considered a potential birthday for the American Teddy Bear. (I say "American" because the Germans - through Marguerite Steiff - also have a claim on the invention).

In 1902, then-president Roosevelt was in Mississippi. He was there to settle a border dispute with Louisiana, but he was also hunting at the same time. He had wanted to shoot a bear, but no bears crossed his path.

So one of his "handlers" went out and FOUND a bear. By some reports, it was an elderly bear that was weak, in others, it was a cub. The bear was (allegedly) tethered so it couldn't get away. But Roosevelt (allegedly, again*) would not take such an unsporting shot. So the cartoonist Clifford Berryman drew up "Drawing the Line in Mississippi," showing Roosevelt refusing to shoot what was depicted in the cartoon as a scared bear cub.

(*I say "allegedly" because another record of the trip notes that Roosevelt returned to Washington after shooting a bear. Hopefully not the one that was tethered.)

A toy maker in New York (Morris Michtom) thought he could capitalize on the popularity of the president - he sewed up a toy bear and (allegedly, again) wrote to Roosevelt asking permission to call it "Teddy's Bear." (If such correspondence existed, it's been lost, I think).

The Teddy Bear became quite a fad in its early days. It was even fashionable for flappers to carry them at one time. (The fact that some bears were made with flasks concealed in their bodies probably had something to do with that).

The bear's popularity seemed to wane after the 50s (this site refers to the 50s-70s as "the lean years," which I think was actually true for a LOT of toys...there were a lot of good toys that came out after I was too old to really enjoy them, and there were a lot of crummy toys in the 70s). It became repopularized in the 1980s, after collectors discovered the antique bears.

I've made quite a few bears over the years - I got interested in them when they became popular again and ALWAYS wanted an antique one, but could never afford it. (And actually, now, after getting a couple of modern Steiffs as gifts, I'm not sure I still want one - the "traditional" bear is very stiff and unyielding, and of course, the antique ones would have to be displayed very carefully, kept out of the light and all that). I think I prefer the more cuddly modern versions.

Like Bertie:



I have a lot of bears I've sewn from patterns (either from books, or ones I made up myself) over the years but have few photos of them. This one (I call him Algonquin) was made to look a bit like the original Berryman cub. He wears a small sized cat's collar. (The photo was really taken using the bear just as a model for the hat, but I remembered I had it in my photostream):



I also have quite a collection of "purchased" bears - I put several of them out at Christmastime (which I will be decorating for this weekend).

I've read a lot of different supposed reasons for why people respond to teddy bears - one being that they are vaguely human in form (bears, when they walk upright, walk "plantigrade" - on the soles of their feet - like humans; many other animals walk "digigrade," on their toes). But they are NOT human, and if you're someone who has temporary or permanent difficulties relating to other humans, that can mean something. And traditional bears have a rather "neutral" expression, so you can kind of project your own emotions on to them. And they were proposed as a sort of cuddly, lovable thing that it was at least marginally OK for a boy to play with.

I think perhaps the "nonthreateningness" of the bears is something people respond to as well. (Funny, because real bears can be quite dangerous, at least mothers with cubs can). I think also there is a tactile quality to them - at least to the furry bears - and I think some people are perhaps a bit deprived of the tactile in life.

I'm not sure any of those explanations work - or maybe, a bit of all of them do. At any rate, I'm glad teddy bears exist. I suppose some day I should chronicle the other ones I've made, most of which came into being before I had a camera.