Teddy Roosevelt was not a particularly keen hunter but was an avid sportsman. In the course of a bear hunting trip in 1902 where most of the party (but not Roosevelt) had already shot something, some of Roosevelt’s attendants after a long and sometimes violent chase, managed to subdue a black bear and tie it to a tree and suggested that Roosevelt shoot it.
Given the unsportsmanlike circumstances, Roosevelt refused to shoot the bear but had the bear killed to relieve it of its misery. It was this event that led to a political cartoon in The Washington Post.
The cartoon evolved, and later inspired Morris Michtom to create a new toy. This stuffed bear became known as ‘Teddy’s bear”. Michtom’s bear was not the only one to evolve at this time and Richard Steiff also created a similar toy in Leipzig in 1903 after which the Steiff teddy bear was exported in large numbers to the United States.
It only took a few more years for the bear to catch on with other manufacturers and they soon became prize possessions of adults as well as children. Perhaps not surprisingly, Teddy Roosevelt kept the original bear given to him by Michtom.
Although the early bears may not have been safe by today’s commercial standards, they were still much loved and cherished for years to come and the Steiff teddy bear in particular remains a collector’s item all over the world.
New Steiff Teddy Bear
Let’s take it from the inside out. Antique teddy bears were originally stuffed with wood wool, this practice continued until just after World War I when wood wool was replaced by kapok. The construction of the bear itself was from mohair that is derived from Angora goats with the bear’s paws being cut from felt or suede. In order to make the bear ‘growl’, small bellows were attached to tubes of cardboard with a reed were inserted. These worked when the bear was turned over as a weight would force the bellows open and on turning the bear again, the bellows would release the air through the reed creating the ‘growl’. The joints that made the arms, legs and head move were quite basic and worked because of metal or card discs secured by pins.
Looking at the facial features of an antique teddy bear, the eyes themselves were derived from a couple of sources; either shoe buttons or glass that had been painted at the back that were attached via a hook. The nose and mouth tended to be embroidered by hand although the exact shape of the nose tended to differ between manufacturers.
Today, although antique teddy bears still retain the charm of the collectible bears, their construction is somewhat dissimilar which is especially notable by the colours and clothing. We now even have talking bears with flashing noses!
However, one thing will never change, our children’s love of these cuddly toys will often extend into adulthood. I know my children who are now in their twenties and thirties still have their stuffed bears, whether they are collectible bears, or a vintage bear or not.
