National Teddy Bear day is Sept 9th. Do you have a special friend to hug?
Bears for Humanity’s GOTS certified organic, built in the USA Bears are the perfect way to celebrate. Best of all, when you get one, you give one. For every bear purchased, a bear is donated to a child in need. Whether it’s to children with a life-threatening illness, an underprivileged home, or a needy veteran’s family, our bears end up just where we want them: with someone who could use a smile.
Teddy bears are such a classic childhood toy. Most of us had a plush bear or two as children, and gifting stuffed bears continues to be an American convention. Ever wonder where the idea for Teddy bears came from?
Teddy bears were officially invented in 1902 when then president Teddy Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear while out hunting. Many people think the bear was a bear cub. But according to the family’s own history site the bear was actually an elderly bear. The president’s refusal to shoot the bear was captured and parodied in a cartoon in the New York Post by cartoonist Clifford Berryman.
Berryman went on to create several more cartoons featuring the president and the bear, with the bear getting smaller, cuter, and more cub-like in later drawings.
A Brooklyn New York candy store owner, Morris Michtum, was inspired by the cartoons. He decided to produce a stuff toy named after the president. Even though Roosevelt was known to dislike when people called him Teddy, he gave Morris permission to name the stuffed bears after him. Ironically, the president didn’t think the toys would amount to much. But by 1908 they had become a multi-million dollar enterprise. Some public figures even worried about bears replacing dolls altogether and the effect that might have on society!
Other toy makers copied the design and an American classic spread abroad. Today the original bears made by Morris Michtom can be seen in the Smithsonian museum.
Bears for Humanity pays homage to this American classic every day with a modern interpretation that we think the president would approve of. These fair trade, GOTS certified toys are hand stuffed and sewn here in the USA by women and at-risk mothers from welfare to work program, CALworks. They are sure to bring joy to gift givers and recipients alike.
Consider celebrating National Teddy Bear Day with a new friend for you, and for a child in need when you shop at Bears for Humanity this week. Use TEDDYBEARDAY15 for 15% off orders equal or above $25.00.
To learn more about our American Teddy Bear historic tradition go the National Museum of American History