For over a century, the teddy bear has been a beloved companion for children worldwide. Its circular muzzle, button eyes and fuzzy ears are instantly recognisable, but the toy's origins are more humble than its iconic status suggests.
The first teddy bear was created in 1902 by Morris and Rose Michtom, Jewish candy store owners in Brooklyn. They stitched together scraps of clothing and sawdust to create a stuffed toy that would later be dubbed 'Teddy's Bear', after President Theodore Roosevelt, who had refused to shoot a tied-up bear during a hunting trip earlier that year. Cartoonist Clifford Berryman immortalised the moment, inspiring the Michtoms to fashion a plush bear.
Initially sold in their shop, the bears became an instant hit. Within a few years, copycats emerged and the teddy bear became the first mass-produced stuffed toy that was neither a rag doll nor a porcelain doll, according to Michael Kimmel, author of Playmakers: The Jewish Entrepreneurs Who Created the Toy Industry in America and a relative of the Michtoms. He notes that the toy was 'utterly genderless', embraced by both boys and girls, and was affordable, comforting and child-sized.
The teddy bear quickly became a cultural icon. Elvis Presley sang about being a 'lovin' teddy bear', and an original Michtom bear is housed in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The phrase 'teddy bear' has come to mean someone who is sweet and cuddly.
Despite initial concerns from some preachers that the plush toy might corrupt young girls, the teddy bear endured. Kimmel remarks that many people cannot part with their teddy bear, even into adulthood, as 'it connects them to that innocent childhood'.
