Did you know: Teddy Bears were actually named in honor of Theodore Roosevelt?

It all started when Theodore Roosevelt was invited on a hunting trip in Mississippi with then-Governor Andrew H. Longino. Roosevelt had a reputation for being the big game hunter president.

Roosevelt’s assistants had cornered a small black bear, tied it to a willow tree and then attempted to summon him. From there, they suggested he shoot it. At this moment, Roosevelt showed his true character by doing something they didn’t expect. He viewed this as very unsportsmanlike conduct and refused to shoot the bear.

This event made major headlines and spread through America like wildfire. The articles retold the story of the president who refused to shoot a bear.

Clifford Berryman, a political cartoonist, decided to make a cartoon that lightheartedly recounted the story. The cartoon appeared in the Washington Post in 1902.

Clifford Berryman's cartoon.
Clifford Berryman’s 1902 cartoon that lampooned T.R.’s bear hunt

A brooklyn candy shop owner, Morris Michtom, saw the cartoon and had the idea of making a stuffed toy bear and dedicated it to the president who refused to shoot a bear. With the permission to used Roosevelt’s name he called it the “Teddy Bear”.

Replica of original Teddy Bear
(A replica of the original Teddy Bear. NPS)

To this day the popularity of the Teddy Bear is worldwide and can be traced back to Theodore Roosevelt’s hunting trip in 1902.