History of Bears

Bear Bones: A few things you may not have known about teddy bears...

Teddy the Bear

Yes, that story about how the teddy bear derived its name from President Theodore Roosevelt is true. It occurred in November 1902 when Roosevelt was in the South to settle a dispute between the states of Mississippi and Louisiana.

During his stay, a hunting trip was arranged for the avid sportsman, but he didn't wind up shooting anything, according to Ken Yenke. On the final day of the outing, a 200 pound bear was caught, tied to a tree and presented to Roosevelt as a sure target.

Disgusted at the prospect of shooting a forcibly detained animal, Roosevelt refused and the bear was set free. The compassionate, humane gesture was depicted the next day in a political cartoon in the Washington Post.

Initially known as Teddy's Bear, the term was eventually altered to the more popular teddy bear.

Bears Here and Abroad

Yenke calls the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. one of the better contemporary firms producing teddy bears in America today. Another is the well-known Gund Company, one of the oldest U.S. manufacturers of teddy bears.

The number of companies here is very limited today, Yenke said. Most of the others are gone. Germany is the birthplace of teddy bears and you still see a lot come out of there.

Another mass-producer of teddy bears is China

There are more bears made there today than ever, Yenke said. They are imported from China by the millions.

Steve Fogarty, The ChronicleTelegram
Saturday, April 16, 2005

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