TEDDY BEARS, TEDDY BEARS, EVERYWHERE!

Teddy Bears, Teddy Bears, Everywhere!

Wherever you are and wherever you look, you are sure to spot a teddy bear. In towns and cities, homes and offices, on buses, trains, or airplanes, you are sure to find a teddy bear somewhere in attendance. The teddy bear is over 100 years old and climbing. He wears many costumes and goes by many different names but he can not escape the fact that he, indeed, is a teddy bear.

The teddy bear was born in 1902 when shopkeeper, Morris Michton, asked his wife, Rose, to make 2 stuffed bears to put in his shop window. At this same time, President Theodore Roosevelt, was in Mississippi to settle a border dispute between Louisiana and Mississippi. Having some free time, he decided to go on a hunting trip. Members of his hunting party found a small, black bear cub and tied the animal to a tree for him to shoot. When President Roosevelt saw the small, pathetic animal, he refused to shoot it and had it set free.

The following day, cartoonist Clifford Berryman, drew a cartoon depicting the President refusing to shoot the bear cub. The caption read: 'Drawing The Line In Mississippi'. This cartoon sparked the interest of Michton and the nation. Morris Michton contacted President Roosevelt to ask if he could name the stuffed bear, 'Teddy', the President agreed, and the Teddy Bear was born. The nation was captivated by the story, the stuffed bear grew in popularity, and is still the most popular stuffed toy to this day.

Teddy bears come in many sizes. They range from tiny teddy bears 1 inch tall, to giant teddy bears over six-foot in height. One thing they all have in common is their soft huggable appeal. It is very easy to find teddy bears of all types, in all sizes, everywhere you look. Teddy bears have evolved over the years. There are many teddy bear artist who create teddy bears reflecting a personality of their own. While the body of the bear may be similar to another bear in the collection, the countenance and the face reflect a very different bear, indeed. Teddy bear artists can spend hours working on the face of a bear. The result is a one-of-a-kind bear with a look and personality all his own.

Teddy bears are a very collectible commodity. Many teddy bear collectors have sites on the internet to show off their adopted families. Some of them have teddy bears in every room and around the grounds. Other teddy bear collectors have modest collections of very special bears.

Where do teddy bears go when they have had all the love they can handle without falling apart? A teddy bear museum, of course. The Teddy Bear Museum of Naples, Florida, has over 4,000 teddy bears on display. Over 40,000 visitors from around the world, visit the museum yearly.

Whatever your teddy bear passion, you will find the teddy bear, or bears, you may find most adoptable without much effort.