How Teddy Bear Got His Name

The Teddy bear is one of the most beloved toys in the world. Do you know how it got its name?

Mar 20, 2015

Originally published on: Mar 20, 2015

Appraisal: Steiff Bear, ca. 1950

Transcript

GUEST: This is a dear old friend. He's 63 years old. His name is Dynamite. Say hi, Dynamite. Well, a little arthritis, maybe, like me. I got him as my bear in 1951. My dad got him for me because my dog had to go to stay with my grandmother in West Virginia because we were moving to Chicago. He's been with me ever since, all these years.

APPRAISER: All those years.

GUEST: Yeah, he used to be 35 inches... 36, but I measured him today, and now he's only 35, so I think he's got a little osteoporosis, too.

APPRAISER: I guess so. I see here we have a picture of you back in 1951.

GUEST: Yeah, with my mom there.

APPRAISER: It always amazes me when somebody carries it around all through their life. And obviously you took care of it because he's really, really in good shape. It's so seldom that this stays so soft.

GUEST: Well, I've kept him in a box.

APPRAISER: Oh, there you go.

GUEST: Sealed up.

APPRAISER: As I said he's in great condition, but I do notice somewhere that somebody's done a little artistic work down here on his feet.

GUEST: Well, yeah. I think that was probably my daughter and maybe my cousins. He's had a lot of loving from a lot of other folks, too, along the line.

APPRAISER: Of course, this bear was made by Steiff, and they were the premier maker of toy bears. They started in business in the 1880s and just made regular little different kinds of animal toys. And it wasn't until around 1903 that they made their first bear. By 1907, they were making 950,000 bears a year.

GUEST: Whoa.

APPRAISER: And it wasn't until shortly after they were brought over into this country, which was right after the first introduction at a toy fair in Europe, that an enterprising toy shop owner heard about Teddy Roosevelt going off on a bear hunt in which there were some difficulties involved, and he said, "Well, let's call this bear a teddy bear." And that's why they're teddy bears, and that helped spur the incredible popularity. Of course, everybody who watches this show knows we look for a button in the ear. In this case, he didn't have a button. He had this little bear symbol on his collar, and it's surprising you still have it. Now, the bears that are really, really valuable are those ones from that very first era, right after 1903 into '07, and some into the early '20s. They can bring astronomical prices. If you were to put it in auction, which I doubt seriously you would, I think this guy would do well over the $100 your father paid for it. I think a fair auction price today would be about $3,500.

GUEST: Oh, you're kidding. Wow. Dynamite, you hear that? $3,500. Wow, that's a dynamite price.

How did the Teddy bear get its name? A presidential hunting party in Mississippi sets the scene for the answer.

In 1902 Mississippi Governor Andrew H. Longino had invited President Theodore Roosevelt to his state for what was promised to be an eventful bear hunt. As the expedition wore on and Roosevelt could find no bear, a skilled guide tracked one down and tied it to a tree so that the president was assured of bagging a bruin.

The cuddly new creation was called "Teddy's bear." The name — and the bear — took off from there.

It's been said that Roosevelt, knowing the animal was injured, refused to take his shot as he felt it would be unsportsmanlike for him to kill the fettered bear. Other hunters put the bear out of its misery.

The story was reported in newspapers across the country. Political cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman imagined the scene in a drawing published in the Washington Post showing President Roosevelt, the big game hunter, refusing to shoot a small, vulnerable bear. "Drawing the line in Mississippi" was the cartoon's title, and some thought it had meaning beyond Roosevelt's ethics as a sportsman, subtly calling attention to the president's criticism of lynchings in the South.

Morris and Rose Michtom, who ran a store in Brooklyn, were reportedly the first in the United States to capitalize on the story's popularity by marketing a plush bear doll. After getting approval from the president to use his name, they initially called their cuddly creation "Teddy's bear." The name — and the bear — took off from there. Around the same time the Michtoms' Teddy bear was gaining popularity, the German toy manufacturer, Steiff, began marketing a stuffed bear with a moving head and limbs. Though not originally called a "Teddy bear" when it was first developed in 1902, the company took advantage of the American bear fever, and its iconic bear toys are still coveted by collectors today.

Sarah K. Elliott