Plush Toys and the Teddy Bear
The very first of the plush toys was born at a company in Germany named Steiff
. This company was founded in 1880 and so was the very first plush toy.Originally manufactured to be a pin cushion, the elephant made of felt turned out to be Steiff's fist plush toy. Once kids got their hands on this soft pin cushion they fell in love with the elephant and the rest is plush toy history.
Kids might have fallen in love with the "pin cushion" elephant, but that did not do much to bring the company profits or favor with the general public. It wasn't until the early 1900's that the company discovered the "rock star" of plush toys: The Teddy Bear
The Steiff Company did not come up with the name "Teddy Bear". It was Morris and Rose Michtom from Brooklyn, NY that came up with the name.
This is how the story goes: Then President Teddy Roosevelt was on a political fence mending trip in Mississippi. Never to miss out on a great outdoor adventure he decided to go on a hunting expedition with his friends. After many attempts at a kill the president came up empty handed.
His companions thought they would help the president out. They found a bear cub and tied him up to a tree. They then told the president to go ahead and shoot the cub. The president refused to shoot the captured cub.
When word of this story got back to Morris and Rose Michtom in Brooklyn, they decided that their version of the stuffed bear should be called the teddy bear in honor of the president. The name stuck and even the Steiff's company started calling their bear a teddy bear.
Steiff is credited with coming up with the first jointed teddy bear. The Michtom's get credit for the first real teddy bear that is familiar to all of us today.
Nobody really knows if the stuffed bear would have been called the teddy bear if it were not for the President Roosevelt connection. Probably not. But there certainly would have been a plush toy called the "something" bear.
The teddy bear is the most popular plush toy ever created. Some people think that it is the most popular of any toy that has ever been created. It certainly has endured in its popularity, unlike the hula hoop, yo-yo, or etch a sketch. These plush bears have been popular for over a century!
Today you can get a teddy bear that can be dressed up for just about any occasion. There are bears for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, get well bears, and wedding bears. The list goes on and on.
Can we really talk about plush toys and teddy bears without mentioning the most famous of all? That would be Winnie-the-Pooh. Winnie has become a force within itself with movies, televisions shows, and all sorts of endorsements.
The next time you think about plush toys maybe you will give a quick thought to the original plush toy: the elephant pin cushion.
Plush Toys and the Teddy Bear
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