Re: American Teddy Bear Encyclopedia Free 21
Sacha Weakland
Most people born in this century have probably encountered teddy bears during their lives, for the teddy bear was developed around the turn of the century. Toy bears developed out of admiration for real bears. About 110,000 years ago, Neanderthal hunters collected skulls of a large brown bear (now extinct) in a shrine where the Cult of the Bear worshiped for over 50,000 years. In modern times, the bear is still considered a symbol of strength, courage, and endurance. Bears share many characteristics with humans, including the abilities to stand upright and to hug, and they also fiercely protect their cubs. Bears are sometimes called the "clowns of the woods" because they dance, sit on their haunches, and roll head over hind paws.
In medieval stories, Bruin the bear was a popular character. In Russia, the bear of folklore evolved into a caricature named "Mishka." The rest of the world learned of Mishka during the 1980 Olympic Games when he became the mascot of the games and a collectible toy. Since the teddy bear's invention, Winnie-the-Pooh, Paddington Bear, Big Teddy and Little Teddy (characters in a set of stories by H. C. Craddock), Yogi and Boo-Boo Bear, Smokey, and Sesame Street's Fozzie bear have become much loved friends and toys from the bear kingdom. Psychologists explain our connection with the teddy bear as "transitional;" children rely on teddies as secretive confidants who help them move away from total dependence on their parents.
The teddy bear was born in two parts of the world at about the same time. In 1903 in Giengen, Germany, Margarete Steiff made toy animals out of felt in a small factory owned by her family. Her nephew, Richard Stieff, encouraged her to make a bear based on his sketches following a visit to the Stuttgart Zoo.
Michtom wrote to the President for permission to name the bears after him, and the President officially approved the teddy bear. The Steiffs claimed that some of first shipment of 3,000 bears were used to decorate tables at a wedding President Roosevelt attended. By 1907, almost one million teddy bears had been sold, and, since the early 1950s, bear sales have typically been on the order of one-quarter of a million bears per year.
The original teddy bears were made (on both sides of the Atlantic) with mohair fabric "fur" that was commonly used for upholstery, black leather shoe-button eyes, and excelsior packing as stuffing. In the 1920s, glass eyes were used, but both the glass and button eyes pulled off easily. In 1948, Wendy Boston patented a screw-in eye made of molded nylon. These were supplanted in the 1950s by plastic eyes mounted on stems and fastened securely to the inside of the fabric with grommets or washers. These safety eyes became standard by the 1960s.
The teddy bear craze reached its height in America between 1906 and 1908, coinciding with President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt's second term in office. Across the country, adults and children alike were going "teddy bear mad."
In addition to the huge variety of regular teddy bears produced by manufacturers both at home and abroad, many unusual teddy bears were also introduced at this time. For example, a "Laughing Roosevelt Bear" was designed to reproduce President Roosevelt's toothy grin. A self-whistling bear produced a whistling sound when it was turned upside down and back upright again. An "Electric Eye" bear had a mechanism in its stomach that, when pressed, activated lights in its eyes (unfortunately, these mechanisms quickly broke).
Also during these years, teddy bear images appeared on many other consumer goods, including automobile accessories, baby rattles, jigsaw puzzles, postcards and greeting cards, and even the cover for a hotwater bottle. And it was in 1907 that John W. Bratton composed "The Teddy Bear Two-Step," to become famous later as the tune for "The Teddy Bear's Picnic."
Some teddy bear lovers enjoyed humanizing their bears by dressing them up in doll-like clothes. The above photos feature a set of teddy-bear clothes that could be sewn for children as a Christmas gift. The pattern, which cost 15 cents, came in three sizes to fit 12-, 16-, and 20-inch bears. The article that accompanied these photos claimed that, "Even the crossest teddy bear would be pleased if he found this nice set of clothes in his Christmas stocking!"
Changes have also occurred in the construction of articulated bears. Materials for the original designs included disks and cotter pins (twistable fasteners) that attached separately made arms, legs, and heads to a body that had to be firmly stuffed to support the pins. The early disks were made of wood with leather coverings to protect the outer fur. Companies using this process today have substituted plastic disks, but the manufacture is still largelyby hand and is expensive. In the 1940s, teddy bears were made with prestuffed arms that were sewn into the body seams and legs. The joints were stuffed loosely, so these bears could flex at the joints without being articulated.
Today's materials are most varied in fabric. Plushes made of many fibers are popular because they are fur-like. Early bears were made of mohair that consisted of Angora (goat's wool), sheep's wool, rayon, or silk. Today's plush may be wool, silk, rayon, nylon, other synthetics, or combinations of fibers. Velvet or velveteen (velvet made of cotton instead of silk or synthetics) is popular for its softness and range of colors. Fake fur fabrics are classics for modern bears. Fake fur is different from plush because it has a knitted instead of woven backing that is lightweight and flexible; the shaping of the fiber can eliminate sheen and closely resemble real fur with blended colors. Real fur can also be used for teddy bears, but fur bears are delicate and require special care.
The design for a new model of teddy bear is first sketched by an artist experienced in toy design and the manufacturing process. Based on a sketch or conception of the planned bear, pieces of the bear are also drawn to be used in making a pattern. The pattern is cut out and assembled, and the prototype bear is examined for "character flaws." If the design prevents the bear from sitting properly, for example, or if the prototype is not appropriately cuddly or distinguished, the design is redrawn, shapes of pieces are changed, or different colors or fabrics may be used to make another prototype. Many trials may be required to perfect the design before it is ready for large-scale manufacture. Factors such as popular interests and headlines may be considered in planning new designs where a respectable volume of sales is needed to justify manufacture. For instance, a bear producer in California sells a stuffed bear resembling the bruin on the California state flag, but this item would not necessarily sell well elsewhere.
Although teddy bears are mass produced, their design and production requires hands-on attention throughout the manufacturing process. Fabric cutters, assemblers, stuffing machine operators, and bear surgeons, groomers, and dressers all share great pride in knowing their product will give and receive much love over the years of its life. Hand-production ensures that the bears are inspected at every step in their manufacture, and that mistakes do not reach the packaging department.
There are no byproducts from the manufacture of teddy bears, although there are co-products consisting of other types of stuffed animals and dolls. Small stuffed creatures are sometimes designed with pattern pieces to fit between bear segments so fabric is not wasted. Fabric scraps and errant stuffing constitute most of the waste from bear production, and this material cannot be recycled and is disposed.
The future for teddy bears can only be a picnic. New interpretations of this much-loved creature follow trends in movies, television, and toy fashion from character bears to miniature, beanbag-like versions that are inexpensive and collectible. A teddy bear has even flown on the Space Shuttle when, in February 1995, Magellan T. Bear from the Elk Creek Elementary School in Pine, Colorado, joined a NASA mission as the school's ambassador. Teddy bears are popular with children, obviously, but also with adult collectors who build on their childhood friends and often invest in limited editions or bears made from prized designs and rare materials. In a world with increasing emphasis on technology, teddy bears remind us of our childhood and provide an unlimited supply of fuzzy hugs.
Teddy bears became popular at the very beginning of the twentieth century. Prior to their introduction, most soft toys for children were rag dolls, usually given to both boys and girls to encourage nurturing instincts. The first stuffed animal toys were made in Germany in the latter part of the nineteenth century, generally consisting of felt-covered animals mounted on wheels. As rigid pull toys rather than soft, huggable playthings, this type of stuffed toy virtually disappeared as the teddy bear craze took hold.
The first teddy bears appeared in 1902. According to popular history, American president Theodore Roosevelt went on a hunting trip in Mississippi in November 1902 as a break from his ongoing efforts to resolve a border dispute between that state and Louisiana. Most versions of the story agree that "Teddy" refused to shoot a bear that was captured for him. Roosevelt had already achieved fame as both an enthusiastic sportsman and conservationist. The episode inspired a cartoon by Clifford Berryman, entitled "Drawing the Line at Mississippi," published in the Washington Post. Berryman continued to draw the scene (with different versions of the trapped bear) for several years after.
In 1906 the American toy trade journal Playthings shortened "Teddy's Bear" to "teddy bear," and the phrase was quickly adopted by manufacturers. By 1913, several American companies were producing teddy bears, competing with German manufacturers. During World War I, German imports to Great Britain were banned, leading to the creation of the British stuffed toy industry, spurred on by the success of the teddy bear. France entered the market immediately following the war.
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