You’ve probably heard the story that the teddy bear was named in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt. But did you know that it was Jewish immigrants who actually invented the teddy bear?
The story begins in November 1902, when Roosevelt went bear hunting near Onward, Mississippi. But even this familiar tale isn’t quite as cuddly as the version we’ve inherited.
Roosevelt, an enthusiastic hunter, had come up empty-handed. His hunting guide, Holt Collier, eventually found a 235-pound black bear. Collier and his dogs pursued the animal, and the bear fought back, killing one of the dogs. Collier struck the bear over the head, tied it to a tree, and summoned Roosevelt, hoping the president could finish the hunt. When Roosevelt arrived, he refused to shoot the injured, tethered animal, considering it an unsportsmanlike kill. He also ordered that the bear be put out of its misery; it was subsequently killed with a hunting knife.
So, no, it wasn’t a cute little bear cub that Roosevelt nobly refused to shoot. And the bear didn’t live happily ever after.
The incident nonetheless made headlines, and political cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman turned it into a memorable image: Roosevelt, with his back turned, refusing to shoot a small, almost comically adorable bear tied to a tree.
This cartoon caught the eye of Brooklyn couple Morris and Rose Michtom, giving Morris an idea.
Morris and Rose, both Russian-Jewish immigrants, owned a penny store where they sold candy and other trinkets. Morris was a tinkerer who enjoyed making toys in his spare time. According to the family story, he saw Berryman’s cartoon and asked Rose to make a stuffed version of “Teddy’s Bear.” Rose, who was skilled with a needle and thread, actually designed and sewed the first bear, reportedly using scraps of fabric and stuffing materials they had on hand.
The Michtoms put the little bear in the window of their shop, with a sign reading “Teddy’s Bear.” Customers immediately wanted to buy it. Morris eventually sent one to Roosevelt and asked permission to use his name. Roosevelt agreed, though he apparently didn’t think the toy would have much appeal.
He was wrong.
The teddy bear became a sensation, and the Michtoms went on to establish the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company, which eventually became a major American toy manufacturer. One of their original bears is now part of the collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
It is worth nothing that there is another company that also claims to be the inventors of the original teddy bear toy.
Around the same time, a German toy company founded by Margarete Steiff was developing its own plush bear. Steiff’s nephew, Richard Steiff, designed a mohair bear with movable arms and legs in 1902. The company, Steiff, is still in business, and dates Richard’s first sketches of his toy bear to 1894, though by their own admission, the company didn’t start using the name “Teddy Bear” until 1906. Their website boldly declares, “We are the inventors of the Teddy bear,” leaving little room for debate. It also has a timeline of the company’s history, which is conspicuously blank between the years 1930 and 1950, but the company continued to operate during the war, even making a stuffed storm trooper toy in the 30s, and a polar bear mascot for Fanta that has its own odd, Nazi-adjacent history.
For my money, though, I like to think of the Michtoms as the real inventors of the Teddy Bear, at least as it is known in American culture today. This is not just because their Teddy Bear emerged in 1903, directly inspired by Roosevelt (and given his personal stamp of approval!), but also because of the fairytale-like American dream story behind it. Two Jewish immigrants had an idea that catapulted them into success, creating one of the most enduring symbols of childhood.
Rose died in 1937, and Morris less than a year later. His obituary, which ran in the New York Times, emphasizes the couple’s philanthropic work. They were heavily involved in Jewish charities like the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and Beth-el Hospital in Brooklyn, and were members of several local Jewish groups. They were dedicated to using their success to help the less fortunate, especially their fellow Jews.
More than 120 years later, generations of children have gone to sleep clutching their bears. They may not know Roosevelt, Berryman or the Michtoms, but they certainly know Teddy.
New Year, More Kveller. A few dollars keeps Kveller joyfully, honestly free.
