The bear from Mississipi
On 17 november 1902, President Theodor Roosevelt of the united States was middle of
settings a boundary dispute in the south when he was taken on a hunting expedition.
"Teddy" Roosevelt was a keen hunter, but the story goes that on this occasion the
animal they tracked dow was only a smalll, helpless cub. The president spied him, took
aim with his rifle, but did not fire. The newpspaper took up the tale and America smiled
over the incident and their president's soft heart.
Cartoonist Cliffort K Berryman of the Washigton Evening Star had fun depicting Roosevelt
"Drawing the line in Mississipi" and his image of this first "Teddy" bear won over America.
In the following months, Teddy Bear became the cutest, most wanted creatures in every
home. The president, who admired bears both in the wild and on the toyshelf, had
accidentlly started a new craze.
In the nineteenth century in Germany there lived a toymaker named
Margaret Steiff. A chilhood disease had left her crippled, but with her
sister's help she sewed for a living. Her first success as a toymaker was
with a felt elephant made into a pincushion and by 1893 she was
exhibiting a range of toy animals at the Leipzeig Fair. Her nephew Richard
first thought of the idea of a large bear with movable head and joints
made of mohair. Another nephew, Paul tried to sell these bears, but it
was not until the Leipzig fair of 1903 that success really came for the Steiff factory.
The first Steiff bear was known as "Friend Petz" but these popular furry toys began to be
imported into the American market and soon became known as Teddy Bears to suit the
new craze. The Steiff bears always carried a nickel button in one ear, with the symbol of
Margaret's original toy elephant.
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