today at the museum Open today 10 am–5 pm
Teddy bear
Home Memories, Wonders, and Dreams: Stories from 100 Years Childhood Experiences Teddy Bear

Teddy bear

Teddy bear
Teddy bear

Teddy bear

For more than a century, many American children have loved and cuddled stuffed toy teddy bears. But do you know why they’re called “teddy bears”? The name is derived from a 1902 story about President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt who refused to shoot a wounded bear while hunting in Mississippi because it would be “unsportsmanlike.” News spread of the president’s “compassion,” and entrepreneurs Morris and Rose Michtom seized the opportunity, sewing and selling plush teddy bears in their New York penny store. The toy became so popular that they created the Ideal Toy and Novelty Company to produce bears in 1903. This furry brown bear was manufactured by Ideal in 1908, at the height of the teddy bear craze.
today at the museum