Today is National Teddy Bear Day 🧸

What is the story behind the Teddy Bear? And how did he/she get their name?

President Theodore Roosevelt was an avid hunter. In 1902, he was out hunting and came across a bear cub and decided to not shoot it. Clifford Berryman published a cartoon of the event in The Washington Post on November 16th, 1902 and the cartoon became an instant classic.

A New York store owner named Morris Michtom saw the cartoon and he created a new toy and even had a name in mind. Mr. Michtom wrote a letter to President Roosevelt to ask permission to name the new toy a “Teddy Bear.”

Seems as if every child had some type of teddy bear growing up – including me.

For my very first Christmas in 1970, my sister gave me the most precious gift: my teddy bear. When I was old enough to name him, I called him “Teddy.” I know…so original, right?

Teddy has been with me for over half a century now. Most of his original fur is gone from the times I tried to bathe him as a child. His arms are gone from when my childhood dog, Rags, decided to chew on him. His eyes are missing. He actually looks pretty scary. But to me? He’s beautiful. He still smells like my childhood. I slept with him throughout childhood. I cried to him when things were painful. I dressed him up. There were times in my childhood that I truly believed he was the only one who understood me.

Today, he proudly sits in a special place and he’s still with me. All I have to do is hold him and I’m at peace again. So many years…he’s been a most treasured friend.

Lastly, I can’t thank my sister enough for the best gift I’ve ever received in life. He has stood the test of time and is ageless and he’s still loved so very much.

“A teddy bear does not depend on mechanics to give him the semblance of life. He is loved – and therefore, he lives.” – Pam Brown