Greetings from my old friend, Teddy. Oh, the things we’ve been through together.

National Teddy Bear Day – September – Festivology

National Teddy Bear Day takes place in the US on September 9th. Initially a US specific holiday this is increasingly being celebrated by bear lovers across the world. There appears to be no record of the origin of this holiday or why this particular date was chosen – perhaps the bears themselves know?

Teddy bears are, of course, named after US President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. The name came about after a 1902 hunting expedition. The hunt had found no game, so at the end of the day someone brought out a baby bear and suggested that Roosevelt might like to shoot it instead. Roosevelt understandably felt that this was not exactly sporting and refused. The incident was illustrated in a newspaper cartoon entitled “Drawing the Line” – which also referred to the political situation at the time. An enterprising New York toymaker saw an opportunity and brought out a cute stuffed bear named “Teddy’s Bear”. The rest, as the say, is history.

National Teddy Bear Day – September – Festivology

And speaking of Teddy Roosevelt…