wrapped in paper, Teddy bear are placed with love under the Christmas trees for generations for the greatest toddler happiness of the whole world. They are also the first image that comes to mind when we think of a plush .
But do you know the real story of the plush Teddy Bear ? We tell you all about the origins of this plush companion Soft.
When soft toys made it possible to earn a living
Before discovering the history of Teddy Bear , it is important to go back to the origins of stuffed animals in history .
In medieval Europe, the plush animals were often used in plays. During the Industrial Revolution, some realized they could produce stuffed animals for profit. And at the beginning of the 19th century, the concept of producing plush animal gradually developed.
Soft toys to discover the animals
In the 20th century, as societies increasingly isolated themselves from contact with real animals, the sale and production of stuffed animals have been reinforced.
Indeed, in modern industrial societies, humans living in urban settings have often found themselves isolated from contact with animals except pets. At that time, the only way to see wild animals was to go to a zoo.
Curiosity about the unknown has led to a huge increase in popularity of stuffed animals depicting wild animals, especially exotic African animals like lions and elephants .
In the 1950s , just after the war, the baby boom stimulated the demand for soft toys to entertain new babies and young children.
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Teddy bear, a story apart
This is the plush star and his story will surely surprise you. In November 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt and some of his friends went hunting in Mississippi. After hours of hunting with no catch, Roosevelt and his party finally found a helpless bear .
One of the guides asked the president to shoot the bear so he could bring back a hunting trophy. The president refused and reporters across the country recounted the story of Roosevelt's caring act .
Shortly after, a famous cartoonist, Clifford Berryman , drew and animated the scene depicting bear rescue by President Roosevelt.
When a store owner in Brooklyn saw the cartoon , he decided to manufacture and then sale teddy bears in his store. But we had to find a name for it to give it a bit of humanity. He then asked President Roosevelt for permission to use the name " Teddy's Bear for this stuffed animal.
Nowadays, everyone knows this stuffed animal under the name of Teddy Bear , but few people know that they were named after the first name of the president Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt .
