Teddy Bears - Toys & Collectables

Soft cuddly toys have been popular for well over a hundred years. The most famous is the Teddy Bear.

The name Teddy Bear comes from former US president Theodore Roosevelt, whose nickname was "Teddy", which came from a bear hunting incident in Mississippi in 1902. A few of Roosevelt's attendants had caught a black bear and tied it to a willow tree. They called Roosevelt and suggested he should shoot it. He refused on the grounds that it was unsportsmanlike, but instructed it to be put out of its misery after a long and brutal chase.

After the incident Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Clifford Berryman made the incident famous with the initial cartoon showing an adult black bear lassoed by a handler and a disgusted Roosevelt. After a series of cartoons the bear became smaller and cuter.

In 1903 Morris Michtom a candy store owner from Brooklyn who used to make soft cuddly toys in the evening with his wife saw the cartoons and started to make what would later be called Teddy Bears. By 1907 the demand was such that Michtom created The Ideal Novelty and Toy Company.

There is some controversy surrounding who actually made the first teddy because a German toy company called Steiff claims to have made them before Michtom and actually exported 3,000 to the United States in 1903.

Teddy Bears are categorised as "plush toys" this denotes the type of textile materials traditionally used to make them which generally consist of mohair, cotton, worsted yarn and silk. However nowadays they are often made from manmade fibres such as polyester.

In recent times the plush toy has enjoyed immense success especially during the 1980s when Care Bears became very popular. They were actually made famous by a series of greetings cards which were later made into television cartoons, soft cuddly toys, comics and later full length films. Teddy Ruxpin was another bear which was very popular in the '80s and was sold all over the world. This particular soft toy was an electronic talking bear and used the voice of actor Phil Baron.

Today Teddy Bears are still selling with annual sales far exceeding 1 billion dollars. The most widely sold brands of Teddy Bear are made by Gund and Ty Inc. Also the Build-A-Bear Shop has made it possible for children and adults to create their own bears, which has made the experience of owning a Teddy Bear far more personal.

The Teddy Bear has become an iconic figure in the world of soft cuddly toys and in many ways is a timeless childrens possession as well as a valuable collectable. There are museums, festivals and websites dedicated to Teddys and many have been sold for thousands of pounds. The most expensive ever sold have been made by Steiff to celebrate their 125th anniversary they created a gold Teddy Bear. Its mouth is made of gold its fur from gold thread and the eyes are made from sapphires and diamonds. Only 125 were made each with an $84,000 price tag making them the most expensive ever made.