Photo: Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
Morris Michtom asked President Theodore Roosevelt for permission to use his nickname, Teddy, for the teddy bear.
The president agreed and, before long, other toy manufacturers began producing copies of Michtom’s teddy bears, which soon became a national children’s figure.
One of Theodore Roosevelt’s hunting expeditions provided the inspiration for the teddy bear .
Ironically, although he was an avid conservationist, hunting trips led by Roosevelt often resulted in excessive killing,
included a trip to Africa during which his group killed more than 6, animals for sport and trophies. However, the idea for the teddy bear probably grew out of one of Roosevelt’s most compassionate acts.
Reports differ as to the exact details of the inspiration behind the teddy bear, but it is believed that while hunting in Mississippi in 1902, Roosevelt came across an old wounded black bear that his handlers had tied to a tree , the age, sex and health status of the bear remain in dispute.
While some reports claim that Roosevelt shot the bear out of pity for his suffering , others insist that he set him free. Subsequently, political cartoonists portrayed the bear as a cub, implying that beneath the harsh, macho, outdoor image Free Roosevelt lay a much softer and more responsive interior.
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