Whats With All The Teddy Bears?


Whilst watching a documentary on bears I started wondering, why do we buy each other teddy bears? It seems strange that an animal referred to as a grizzly can be such a popular toy. You hear all these story's of mauling yet this doesn't seem to lessen the cuteness of the teddy bear, the two animals don't even seem to be linked. It seems the teddy bear is a species of its own!!

The fascination with bears apparently started with politics in 1902 when Theodore Roosevelt was on a hunting trip. The hunters caught and tied up an exhausted bear for him to shoot but he refused deeming it unsportsman like. This led to a political cartoon in the Washington Post.

The cartoons gradually got cuter and this soon inspired the creation of the teddy bear toy. We've all heard of Steiff which are still going strong today, making the most beautiful bears.

All the cartoons, films and TV shows must have added to popularity of the teddy bear. Who doesn't love Rupert the Bear, Paddington bear and Winnie the Pooh, to name just a few. With new successful businesses such as Build a Bear Workshop the craze doesn't look like ending any time soon.

If you have ever turned the whole house upside down looking for your child's favourite teddy you'll know the hold these toys have over us. After all, what would a world be with out the cuddly cute teddy bear.


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