| Did you know that the first teddy bear was invented in Germany in 1902, over a century ago, does it seem to you that the teddy bear has been with us forever?
Richard Steiff nephew of Margarete Steiff of the Steiff Company had an idea to make a teddy bear that children could cuddle, of course, there were bears for children but these bears were carved from wood and they were not like the teddy bears that we know today, they were actually rather frighening and modelled on real bears, these wooden bears were usually used as fairground mementos. Later soft fur bears were made but again, they were not teddy bears and they were put on four wheels, hence, the child could still not cuddle them. So Richard set to making loads of sketches after visiting a zoo, he wanted a bear but he wanted a 'loving' bear. It is said that his Aunt was not to keen on the idea at first. Margarete Steiff started the business after producing a little felt elephant pin cushion which was very popular with local people and so she made them commercially. The biggest problem Richard had with the teddy bear was the jointing, at first he used both rod and string to joint his bears but in 1906 the disc-jointed teddy bear, as we know him, was born and that was it, the teddy bear just went from strength to strength.
So, we have a German Company responsible for giving us the wonderful old teddy bear but what about his name 'teddy' bear? Well we have the United States to thank for this. It was Theodore Roosevelt (known to his best friends as Teddy) we have to thank. Roosvelt went on a hunting trip to Mississippi in the same year that Richard Steiff invented the bear (1902), however, during his stay there seemed to be no bears in the vicinity, his hosts were horrified and in order that Roosevelt had a trophy to take home they found a bear and staked him to a tree. Roosevelt declined to shoot this bear and soon news of this incident got around. It was Clifford K. Berryman that did a sketch of this calling his sketch 'Drawing The Line In Mississippi', it was later printed in the Washinton Post and almost immediately Roosevelt was associated with the jointed little bear that was beginning to appear in shops.
So that is how it began, we have Germany to thank for his birth and the United States to thank for his name.
Many firms around the world started to make their own teddy bears, using their own ideas as to how he should look and there are not very many countries around the world that does not have or have had a teddy bear manufacturer.
During the First World War and teddy bear had become quite popular and many soldiers who left the country to fight abroad took a little bear with them as a comforter, companion and a lucky mascot. Sweethearts and Mothers gave tese teddy bears as they wanted something for the soldier to hold that would remind them of the love that awaited for him back home. An English Company called Farnell made special little teddy bears for this purpose which were known as Sweetheart Bears. During the Second World War the teddy bear was given to children who were suffering the ravages of war and they became their hero.
Teddy Bears have become a number one icon all around the world and they have been known to fly sorties, climb the world's most highest mountains and race cars (see Gino Bear at ginosbears.co.uk). The great old teddy bear, a friend for life to all men. |
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