Teddies

Few children go their entire childhood without a favorite blanket or teddy bear. One of the main reasons researchers have found for children clinging to such objects is that the objects help the kids feel safe. Children aren't instinctively born with a feeling of safety. They have to learn this feeling as they grow older. Teddy bears help children develop this sense of security.Perhaps the role teddy bears often play in the development of a child's psychology is the root of their great popularity. Whatever the reason, teddy bears are loved by children and adults alike. There are a great number of teddy bear collectors who seek out rare or unique bears for their collections. Extremely rare bears, such as early Steifs, for example, can cost thousands of dollars. There are several stories as to where the teddy bear began, but one main one from the United States seems to stick. It begins on November 15, 1902 with President Theodore Roosevelt. He was out hunting that day with some friends, when the group of them caught a bear and tied it to a tree. However, unlike most hunters, Roosevelt refused to shoot it, saying it was unsportsmanlike. The next day's Washington Post revealed a cartoon by Clifford Barryman featuring a picture of a poor little bear tied up with Roosevelt in the foreground, holding his gun at his side and his hand up toward the bear. A few days later, a man named Morris Michtom put two small stuffed bears in his shop window, which had been created by his wife. When he saw the popularity of these bears, he wrote a request to Roosevelt and received a personal reply granting the request to call the bears 'Teddy's Bears.'