February 10 is Teddy Bear Day – it all started with a grizzly bear hunt

President Theodore Roosevelt went on a hunting trip and landed a timeless icon- the teddy bear.

“I must see a live bear the first day,” Teddy Roosevelt told his host.  But he didn’t.

The next morning, Roosevelt came upon a horrific scene: a bloody, gasping bear tied to a tree, dead and injured dogs, a crowd of hunters shouting, “Let the president shoot the bear!”

The president refused to draw his gun, believing such a kill would be unsportsmanlike.

By Monday morning, faster than you can say “social media”, cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman’s sketch appeared in the pages of the Washington Post.

That night, Rose Michtom in her penny store in Brooklyn whipped up a piece of plush velvet into the shape of a bear and sewed on some eyes

The next morning, the Michtoms had “Teddy’s bear” displayed in their store window.

The Michtoms mailed the original to the president as a gift for his children and asked if he’d mind if they used his name on the bear.

Not knowing that this he would have to bear the association for the rest of his life, Teddy agreed.

The Republican Party took the teddy bear as their symbol for the 1904 election and the Michtoms became rich.

Hope this doesn’t bruin Teddy Bear Day for you.

Why not celebrate the cuddly by surprising your loved one with a teddy bear in a  surprising place?  This guy is chill AND seductive.

Just chillin’ out on Teddy Bear Day

H/T: The Smithsonian

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