Angel Avery-Wright
September 9th brings about National Teddy Bear Day. Do you know where the teddy bear came from?
President Theodore Roosevelt was on a bear hunt near Onward, Mississippi on November 14, 1902. Teddy had not been able to find a bear. His friends on the hunt found one for him and tied it to a tree. Teddy felt that was unsportsmanlike and refused to shoot the bear.
Clifford Berryman created a satirized cartoon of the president’s refusal to shoot the bear. It was published in the Washington Post on November 16, 1902.
Morris Mitchum and his wife had a Brooklyn candy shop but also made stuffed animals. Mitchum decided to create a teddy bear and dedicate it to the president. He called it Teddy’s bear. After receiving Roosevelt’s permission to use his name, Mitchum mass produced the toy bears. The bears became so popular, Mitchum founded the Ideal Toy Company.
Teddy bears are still widely popular today.
Ways to celebrate National Teddy Bear Day
- A fun way to celebrate National Teddy Bear Day is to have a teddy bear picnic. Allow children to bring in their favorite teddy bears and have a tea party or picnic with the children and the bears.
- Celebrate the day by donating teddy bears to youth organizations or giving a teddy bear to someone you love.
- Make an art project that involves teddy bears in some way. Paint a bear, color a bear, or make a bear house.
