Yeah, the two words will always equate to one, CUTE. :) Following my last post on my childhood bear, I shall today elaborate a bit on these much loved character. They are probably the most loveable non-living (but usually ‘alive’ to their owners) thing, well, at least to most kids, and sensitive souls.
So how did teddy bears evolved?
In 1902 (Nov 14th) President Theodore Roosevelt was on a hunting trip in the southern part of America to settle a border dispute between states of Louisiana and Mississippi. The presidential hunting party trailed a lean, black bear, and then tied it to a tree. The president was summoned, but when he arrived on the scene he refused to shoot the tied and exhausted bear, considering it to be unsportsmanlike.
A young artist, Clifford K Berryman, Washington Post editorial cartoonist, immortalized the incident as part of a front-page cartoon montage, captioned as "Drawing the Line in Mississippi," which coupled the hunting incident to a political dispute.
Drawing the Line in Mississippi by Clifford Berryman: This cartoon is believed to have triggered the teddy bear craze in the U.S. (I'm still figuring how to post this cartoon... hold on)
The cartoon drew immediate attention. In Brooklyn, NY, shopkeeper Morris Michtom created small replica toy bears which they placed in their shop window. The bears had been made by his wife, Rose from plush stuffed excelsior and finished with black shoe button eyes. Michtom recognized the immediate popularity of the new toy, requested and received permission from Roosevelt himself to call them "Teddy's Bears." As demand for them increased, Michtom moved his business to a loft, under the name of the Ideal Novelty and Toy Corporation.
At the same time as it was born in The United States, the Teddy Bear was also born in Germany. A young toy designer, Richard Steiff happened to see performing bears at a traveling American circus. The Steiff Company of Giengen produced its first jointed stuffed bears during the same 1902-1903 period and were first introduced at the 1903 Leipzig Fair. Today, Steiff teddies are perhaps the most famous and collectable bears in the world. A Steiff teddy is easily recognizable with a distinctive, small metal button on its left ear.
So how did teddy bears evolved?
In 1902 (Nov 14th) President Theodore Roosevelt was on a hunting trip in the southern part of America to settle a border dispute between states of Louisiana and Mississippi. The presidential hunting party trailed a lean, black bear, and then tied it to a tree. The president was summoned, but when he arrived on the scene he refused to shoot the tied and exhausted bear, considering it to be unsportsmanlike.
A young artist, Clifford K Berryman, Washington Post editorial cartoonist, immortalized the incident as part of a front-page cartoon montage, captioned as "Drawing the Line in Mississippi," which coupled the hunting incident to a political dispute.
Drawing the Line in Mississippi by Clifford Berryman: This cartoon is believed to have triggered the teddy bear craze in the U.S. (I'm still figuring how to post this cartoon... hold on)
The cartoon drew immediate attention. In Brooklyn, NY, shopkeeper Morris Michtom created small replica toy bears which they placed in their shop window. The bears had been made by his wife, Rose from plush stuffed excelsior and finished with black shoe button eyes. Michtom recognized the immediate popularity of the new toy, requested and received permission from Roosevelt himself to call them "Teddy's Bears." As demand for them increased, Michtom moved his business to a loft, under the name of the Ideal Novelty and Toy Corporation.
At the same time as it was born in The United States, the Teddy Bear was also born in Germany. A young toy designer, Richard Steiff happened to see performing bears at a traveling American circus. The Steiff Company of Giengen produced its first jointed stuffed bears during the same 1902-1903 period and were first introduced at the 1903 Leipzig Fair. Today, Steiff teddies are perhaps the most famous and collectable bears in the world. A Steiff teddy is easily recognizable with a distinctive, small metal button on its left ear.
This 16-inch Steiff was made about 1908 and comes from the collection of teddy bear artist Audie Sison. Teddy bear collectors, or Arctophiles, are often keen historians hunting out the authenticity, provenance and condition of an old teddy. London auction house, Sotheby’s held their first teddy bear auction in 1982. Well preserved teddy bears are in high demand and the current world record paid for a teddy is a Steiff bear worth 110,000 pounds!
Made around 1929, this 9-inch mechanical duck by the German company of Bing was wound by a key
Generally the older the teddy, the more valuable it is. The first teddies were stuffed with wood shavings, while kapok and wool replaced wood shavings in 1930s. Early teddies have mohair fur while later teddies have silk or cotton and modern ones (1950s onwards) have synthetic fur. Similarly, older teddy bears usually sport boot button eyes. Teddies from the 1920s have glass eyes while more recent teddies have simple plastic eyes. Lastly, older teddies often resemble real bears, with long muzzles and longish arms and legs. Several teddies even have a hump – copying the muscle lying across the shoulder of their brother bears living in the woods.
Made about 1970, this 20-inch bear from the German company of Fechter wears its original ribbon.
In the 1920s and 30s, musical bears and mechanical bears were very popular. The most noteworthy manufacturers of these novelty bears were Schuco and Bing, making bears that walked, danced, played ball, and even turned somersaults.
This 12-inch Schuco bear is called a yes/no bear, because this bear from the 1930s shakes his head no or nods yes, depending on how you move his tail.
Strangely enough, the comeback of the teddy after years of mass-production was triggered, not by a bear maker, but by an actor. On television, British actor Peter Bull openly expressed his love for teddy bears and his belief in the teddy bear's importance in the emotional life of adults. After receiving 2000 letters in response to his public confession, Peter realized he wasn't alone. In 1969, inspired by this response, he wrote a book about his lifelong affection for teddy bears, Bear with Me, later called The Teddy Bear Book. His book struck an emotional chord in thousands who also believed in the importance of teddy bears. Without intending to, Bull created an ideal climate for the teddy bear's resurgence. The teddy bear began to regain its popularity, not so much as a children's toy, but as a collectible for adults.
Jenni, an 18-inch bear, was made by British teddy artist Elizabeth Lloyd
Artist bears also set the stage for a new kind of manufactured bear, the artist-designed manufactured bear. Today artist-designed manufactured bears are offered by Ganz, Gund, Dean's, Knickerbocker, Grisly Spielwaren, and others; all offer collectors the opportunity to own artist-designed bears that cost less due to mass production.
So what's next for the teddy bear? Certainly our love affair with the teddy bear shows no signs of abating.
American teddy bear artist Heather Stanley made 14-inch Simon. Do you remember your childhood bear? Where is it now? Your own childhood bear is unlikely to make an arctophile want to pay out their life savings. However, your teddy bear will always remain truly special and totally priceless companion to you. So go and give your old time bear a big hug today. :) *cuddle*
You can find out more on teddy bears here:
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