Teddy bears are arguably the most popular children's toys. It is difficult to find a child who did not have a favorite teddy bear as a child. Among the fans of this toy there is also a considerable number of adults collecting whole collections of various bears. At the same time, there is no definite answer to the question of where and how the first teddy bear appeared.
For the right to be considered the homeland of a teddy bear, two countries are in dispute: the United States and Germany.
Teddy Bear from USA
According to the American version, the famous teddy bear owes its appearance to the famous American President Theodore Roosevelt. Hunting was one of his main hobbies. One day, in November 1902, a tiny bear was caught by the president. Roosevelt refused to shoot the kid and ordered to release him into the forest.
Of course, such an event could not be ignored by the press. The Washington Post published an article about the president's unsuccessful hunt and a caricature depicting Roosevelt and a bear cub. Moreover, the bear was depicted so touching that he immediately won universal love. The president's act resonated in the hearts of ordinary Americans, and the image of the bear became a symbol of kindness and mercy.
The incident with the teddy bear became the reason for numerous jokes and cartoons in the American press. Morris Michton, an emigrant from Russia, saw one of them. Before that, he was the owner of a candle shop and had nothing to do with toys. But seeing the growing popularity of the teddy bears, Michton suggested to his wife that they sew some articulated teddy bears for sale. The bears were originally named "Theodore's Bear". Michton later received permission to use Roosevelt's nickname and named the Teddy bear. The date of birth of the teddy bear was October 27, like the president.
The success of the toy was so great that a year later Michton closed his shop and founded a toy manufacturing company.
Teddy bears from Germany
The Germans tell a completely different story about the birth of a teddy bear. In the small German town of Geingen, there lived a girl named Margaret Steif. As a child, she contracted polio and was confined to a wheelchair for life. But Margaret had an enviable tenacity and love of life. She learned how to sew amazingly beautiful soft toys, which became very popular among the residents of the city. Soon, Margaret's parents opened a small family business for the production of stuffed toys.
In 1902, Margaret's nephew Richard Steif developed a new toy - a teddy bear with moving legs and head. Initially, Richard created bears as similar as possible to real animals. However, they gradually began to acquire fabulous, cartoonish features, which only contributed to the growth of their popularity.
To this day, it is not known exactly who owns the palm in the manufacture of teddy bears. But for their millions of fans around the world, it doesn't really matter. The main thing is that the bears do not get tired of delighting and delighting them.
