How ROOSEVELT's Refusal To Shoot A Captive Bear, Created the TEDDY BEAR? #Video

The Teddy Bear Story.
What does Teddy Roosevelt have to do with the Teddy Bear?
The origin of the Teddy Bear starts with Roosevelt in one of his routine hunting trips. On November 14th, 1902, Roosevelt was hunting for bears in Mississippi at the invitation of the Mississippi Governor.

Unlike the other members of the hunting party, Theodore couldn't find a single bear to hunt the entire trip. His aides, cornered and tied an old black bear to a nearby tree and called for the President.

But helpers, hoping to improve on Roosevelt's hunting experience were sorely mistaken in their endeavour, as Roosevelt himself refused to shoot the bear, viewing it as incredibly unsportsmanlike.

With this, news of the event blew up. Teddy Roosevelt's notoriety as an avid hunter, coupled with the story of his mercy shown to the black bear, prompted articles and political cartoons featuring "Teddy" and "the bear" to appear in newspapers across the country.

This caught the attention of Morris Michtom, the owner of a candy shop in Brooklyn. On the side, they made stuffed animals, however this time, they created a stuffed toy bear, dedicating it to the President, naming it "Teddy's Bear". This was so successful that Michtom was able to establish the Ideal Toy Company a year later, which grew to be a multimillion-dollar enterprise. Teddy Bears went on to conquer the world and become a staple of toys today!