It was 1902, and President Theodore Roosevelt was deep in the woods on a hunting trip when something felt off.
His guides had caught a bear, tied it to a tree and invited the president to take the shot. But Roosevelt, known for his rough-riding, no-nonsense style, refused. He said it was unsporting.
That moment — an act of compassion — sparked something no one could have expected.
Political cartoonist Clifford Berryman turned the story into a widely circulated cartoon. A New York shopkeeper, Morris Michtom, and his wife, Rose, saw the cartoon and were inspired. They stitched up a soft, fabric bear, put it in their shop window, and labeled it “Teddy’s Bear.”
It caught everyone’s attention. And just like that, the teddy bear was born.
Not long after, a German toy company took the idea a step further, adding jointed limbs. The teddy bear craze was officially on. By 1907, the Hope Pioneer newspaper in North Dakota couldn’t help but comment. Women were spotted in public hugging teddy bears.
Some social philosophers were puzzled. Was it a protest against Roosevelt’s hunting? A childhood nostalgia trip? Or just a cozy trend? Whatever the reason, teddy bears were taking over.
Manufacturers couldn’t keep up. The bear that was once expected to fade with Roosevelt’s presidency instead became America’s most beloved toy. By 1910, teddy bears had crossed the Atlantic to England, where, according to reports, they soon outnumbered the children. The bear went global, finding homes in Russia, Japan, and beyond. And when World War I cut off European imports, American teddy bear makers saw a boom that never really stopped.
More than a century later, the teddy bear remains a symbol of comfort, childhood, and enduring affection. And it’s all because Theodore Roosevelt said ‘no’ to an unfair shot, and someone saw a bear-shaped opportunity.
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This Dakota Datebook was originally written by Carole Butcher, and edited for Tay Calloway.
