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The 26th US President, Theodore Roosevelt, inspired
what we call today “The Teddy Bear.” Not because President Roosevelt
looked like a bear, but because he wouldn’t hunt a baby bear.
In 1902, a cartoon of President Roosevelt refusing to shoot a baby bear
was printed in a newspaper. The cartoon inspired Morris and Rose Michtom of Brooklyn,
New York. The Michtoms made a bear in honor of the president's actions. They named
their bears "Teddy's Bear".
Toy bears made during this time looked mean and stood on all four paws. The “Teddy’s Bear” looked
friendly and sat upright. Much like the teddy bears you see today.
 Everyone loved and wanted a
"Teddy's Bear."
President Roosevelt even used a “Teddy’s Bear” in his re-election for president. A man named Seymour Eaton wrote children's books about The Roosevelt Bear. Another American, J.K.
Bratton, wrote a song called, "The Teddy Bear Two Step."
The “Teddy’s Bear” has changed over the last hundred
years. You can find teddy bears in all the colors of the rainbow. Some even have pictures on their stomachs. But one thing
hasn’t changed—children still love “Teddy’s Bear.”
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