National Teddy Bear Day

It’s National Teddy Bear Day! A teddy bear is “a soft toy in the form of a bear.” Betcha didn’t know this one: The name “teddy bear” actually came from none other than former US President Theodore Roosevelt! Apparently the name came about after a 1902 hunting trip, in which a bear had been caught and was awaiting being shot. Roosevelt refused to shoot the bear, and thus displayed an unsportsmanship-like behavior, even though he insisted that the bear be offed. Because of this, a cartoon was produced which made light of the situation.

(Image found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teddy_bear)

From there, toymaker Morris Michtom “saw the drawing of Roosevelt and was inspired to create a new toy.” Michtom is said to have produced a single stuffed animal bear, which he named “Teddy’s Bear,” and soon after these bears were a hot commodity. I guess you could say that the rest is history, especially since these stuffed little creatures are just about every child’s best friend! They are now sold commercially around the globe, and are even produced by independent bear makers. My Gramma, for one, was an incredible bear maker! She made them in all shapes and sizes until just about the day she died. What a talent she was! Oddly enough I have no pictures of her creations, and all of the bears I own that she has made me are safely tucked away for the time being! You’ll have to take my word for it!

So now that you’ve learned the history of the “teddy bear,” vote on the Daily Poll. Upon completion (and I promise you it won’t take that long), check out this mildy disturbing, but incredibly humourous video from a little show I enjoy watching called “8 Out of 10 Cats.” I must warn you, some of you may find this offensive, and it’s probably best that children do not watch. http://youtu.be/JDUcRuvlSxw