General
It’s national Teddy bear day
Grab your teddy bears and blow some candles on the cake. Yes. That´s right. These furry animals have something to celebrate today. Every 9th of September, it is national teddy bear day. The stuffed toy that our parents bought when we were toddlers has a celebration, a history and a cult following.
Theodore ‘Teddy’ Roosevelt
The stuffed toy that why have known as kids as our ´furry little friend that we give names to´ has a history of its own. The word ´Teddy´ is referenced to American president Theodore Roosevelt. The 26th president at the time went to Mississippi for hunting, where he could hunt for bears. However, the leader refused to shoot this animal because he/she suffered from the injury and out of the bleu: this incident that took place in 1902 became national news. The news was so huge that Clifford Berryman -cartoonist for the Washington Post- published a sketch about this encounter. Store owner Morris Michtom from New York was inspired by this story and came up with a name that we all know today: Teddy bear. The presidents nickname was ‘Teddy’, which Michtom asks permission from to use for the toy he named.
‘He/she is such a teddy bear’
Decades later this bear cub is used in books and television shows such as Winnie the Pooh and Paddington. It is even used as a way of expressing that someone looks adorable (‘you look like a cute teddy bear’) or if a toddler is very kind and looks precious to you ( ‘he/she is such a teddy bear!’). Teddy bears are still the main gift we buy when our kids are becoming three years old. The funny part of al this is how an injured bear can turn into a sensation. story shows two main things. Firstly, the injured bear shows the suffering part, that we feel sorry for him/her. Bears are mostly viewed as strong dangerous animals because of their large nails and sharp teeth that can cut through the flesh of the prey. Even though this animal has these parts, the wounds make him/her weak. That is a reason enough for Theodore Roosevelt why he does not shoot the bear. Bear looked ‘vulnerable’ and in is need of help. That the feeling of ‘warmth’ that kids -and maybe we- have we see a fluffy teddy bear in a toy store, the brown eyes and soft fur.
So why celebrating?
Teddy bears are cute looking toys that we love so much. They are still present till this day, where kids host tea parties with them. The story of Theodore Roosevelts incident may not be honoured today. At least we are celebrating these cute little furry animals and its legacy.
Source: Time and date, National day calender
