80 Year Old Teddy Bear by Vickie Emms
This old fella was my father in law’s bear when he was a child. Now if he is 85 – this old guy must be around 80 years old. He sits on top of my kitchen cabinet enjoying the rest of his life. I thought his nose was missing, but it’s sewn on, so it can’t be removed.
Upon researching teddy bears tonight, it has come to my attention that I may have in my hands and original Teddy Roosevelt bear here.
Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, is the person responsible for giving the teddy bear his name. On November 14, 1902, Roosevelt was helping settle a border dispute between Mississippi and Louisiana. During his spare time he attended a bear hunt in Mississippi. During the hunt, Roosevelt came upon a wounded young bear and ordered the mercy killing of the animal. The Washington Post ran a editorial cartoon created by the political cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman that illustrated the event. The cartoon was called “Drawing the Line in Mississippi” and depicted both state line dispute and the bear hunt. At first Berryman drew the bear as a fierce animal, the bear had just killed a hunting dog. Later, Berryman redrew the bear to make it a cuddly cub. The cartoon and the story it told became popular and within a year, the cartoon bear became a toy for children called the teddy bear.
Comments
Something very worth hanging on to.
thank you Larry, well we intend to, I just found it interesting he looks exactly like the TR teddies.
– Vickie Emms
He’s a charmer Sis! What a treasure to have and hold. :>)) Leslie
thank you sis, he is kind of cute,,,,,,,,,well used, hehe
– Vickie Emms
Oh for goodness sakes!! What a fascinating story and a goldmine if you ask me!! A treasure to guard for sure!!
well, as I asked Fred about which picture (I took 2) to show, I said maybe we would get an offer, lol. No it’s not for sale, it’s his dad’s and someone asked me to upload it for her to see, so here it is. He’s pretty rickety.
– Vickie Emms
I could probably buy a Hassleblad with that ..better tuck him away for safe keeping
oooh, really? I think he is worth something, but can’t part with him anyway.
– Vickie Emms
You couldn’t put a price on him, could you. I didn’t know the story of how teddy bears came about, other than a vague T Roosevelt connection. Possibly the only good thing to come of killing for fun!
jx
I know, I read the story on several sites researching this bear last night, the story I added here is about the easiest to read about the bear. No there is no price on this old guy, he smiles down on me from atop the cupboard, I couldn’t let him go
– Vickie Emms
Hey, Vickie. Thanks for posting it!
Are you familiar with the Antiques Roadshow? I don’t know if they ever come to Canada. You could go to one of the conventions or whatever and have it appraised and maybe get a spot being interviewed by the hosts on TV. :-)
The link to the site – http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/index.html
Nice pic. Great item. :-)
I do know about Antiques Roadshow yes, it does come to Canada, even Winnipeg which is close to where I love. Ya think? Thanks for your wonderful comments.
– Vickie Emms
Wonderful shot and narrative, Vickie. What a wonderful keepsake, indeed. I love the framed one. It actually looks like the bear is in a shadowbox. You might consider doing something like that to protect it from the elements. How lucky you are to have this family heirloom!! :)Karen
I might just do that Karen, I never even thought he was that valuable till yesterday :-))
– Vickie Emms
Well, let me know if you go to the Roadshow.
oh he’s just too special!I really enjoyed your description too.Thankyou for sharing this treasure :-)
thank you very much
– Vickie Emms
Wow, the teddy bear has led a long life! :-) What a wonderful treasure. Just incase you didn’t know, there is a doll and teddy bear group on RB. I bet they would love this photo in the group.
thank you so much, wow, you found an old photo, must be the new search feature. So glad you like it, thanks for the group mention
– Vickie Emms