The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. It is an enduring, traditional form of stuffed animal, often serving
the purpose of comforting upset children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become expensive
collector's items. Teddy bear collectors are known as arctophiles from the Greek words 'arcto' (bear) and
'philos' (lover). The world's first Teddy Bear Museum was set up in Petersfield, Hampshire, England, in
1984. In 1990 a similar foundation was set up in Naples, Florida, USA. Theodore Roosevelt, whose
nickname was "Teddy", enjoyed big game-hunting. According to one legend...
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Our plush bear is a cutie in his own message-bearing t-shirt and festive
red ribbon. He’s a great gift for Valentine’s Day, baby showers,
birthdays, get well-wishes, a pair of wedding bears, or any reason you
dream up. Put a smile on someone’s face. Just grin and bear it!
* Soft plush fur
* 11 inches tall
* Red bow and t-shirt included
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the teddy bear received its birth at Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs,
Colorado. To cheer Theodore Roosevelt after an unsuccessful day of
hunting, Hotel Colorado maids presented him with a stuffed bear pieced
together with scraps of fine material. Later, when he did bag a bear, his
daughter Alice admired it saying, "I will call it Teddy." The term caught on.
According to another legend (and the one most often cited), the name
derives from a bear-hunting trip in Sharkey County, Mississippi in 1902,
when Roosevelt's tracker, noted African-American hunter and sportsman
Holt Collier, found and caught an old injured bear. Roosevelt refused to
kill the lassoed animal, calling it "unsportsmanlike", and instead released
it. "Teddy's Bear" was immediately publicized by political cartoonists,
taking journalistic licence and changing it to a young cute bear. The first
such cartoon appeared the following day, November 16: Clifford
Berryman, an editorial cartoonist for the Washington Post, immortalized
the incident as part of a front-page cartoon montage. Berryman pictured
Roosevelt with his gun beside him with the butt resting on the ground
and his back to the bear, gesturing his refusal to take the trophy shot.
Written across the lower part of the cartoon were the words "Drawing
the Line in Mississippi," which coupled the hunting incident to a political
dispute (see picture to the left).
Kinds of teddy bears
Commercially made, mass produced teddy bears are predominantly made
as toys for children. These bears have safety joints for attaching arms
legs and heads. They also have securely fastened eyes that do not pose
a choking hazard for small children. These "plush" bears must meet a
rigid standard of construction in order to be marketed to children in the
United States and in European Economic Community.
By contrast, Artist Bears, are not mass produced and definitely not
intended for small children. In fact, most carry a tag saying just that.
These bears are intended for an adult market of avid collectors. They are
individually created by a whole host of artists around the world. Many of
these artists design their own bears as well as making them by hand or
stitching them up on home sewing machines. These bears are not mass
marketed. They are available for purchase through the individual artists,
specialty shops, web sites, and at art shows, Teddy Bear shows and craft
shows across the globe. These bears are almost always jointed with
movable heads, arms and legs. The jointing systems to attach these
appendages and heads are most often disk and screw or disk and cotter
pin combinations but can be done with buttons, simple string, chain or
any other method an enterprising artist may devise.
The "fur" from which these charming creatures are made is as varied and
interesting as the bears themselves. Mohair, the fur shorn or combed
from a breed of long haired goats, is woven into cloth, dyed and trimmed
to produce a fascinating choice for any artist's palette. In addition to
mohair, there is a huge selection of "plush" or synthetic fur made for the
teddy bear market. Both these types of fur are commercially produced.
Some Teddy Bear Artists specialize in the production of bears made from
recycled materials. These artists haunt thrift stores, flea markets, garage
sales and trash collection centers as well as their own and their familys'
basements and attics in search of forgotten treasures to be turned into a
collector's dream. Old quilts, dresses, fur collars, coats and stoles as well
as beaded bags and garments are quickly transformed into stunning
teddy bears.
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