None other than US President Theodore Roosevelt is the namesake of the teddy bear. The 26th President of the United States was affectionately known as “Teddy” by his friends. When he refused to kill a bear cub during a bear hunt in 1902, the link with the bear was born.
The story of the president refusing to kill a bear cub quickly made headlines. Cartoonist Clifford Berryman drew a picture of the incident and had it published in the Washington Evening Star . The bear came to be known as “Teddy’s Bear” and was also seen in many other cartoons in which Roosevelt played a role in the period after that.
Teddy bear
American toy store owner Morris Michtom saw the cartoon and decided to create a bear with his wife and name it after President “Teddy” Roosevelt. So the bear got the name teddy bear. Before the couple put the teddy bear on the market, they did ask Theodore Roosevelt if he had any objections. Roosevelt said he thought it was fine. In a letter he is said to have written:
“I don’t think my name will mean much to the bear business, but you’re welcome to use it!”
According to another reading, Roosevelt did not refuse to kill a bear cub. In reality, it would have been a rather obese bear that was difficult to move. According to this story, the president found this bear no match for him and therefore decided to spare the animal .
