The first “Teddy bear” was put on sale on this day in history, Feb. 15, 1903.

Named after President Theodore Roosevelt, the stuffed bear was first sold by Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn, New York, resident who owned a candy shop, the website for the National Parks Service (NPS) says.

Michtom’s wife, Rose, who made stuffed animal toys, actually created the first teddy bears. 

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Michtom was inspired to call the toys “Teddy’s bear” after reading a political cartoon published in the Washington Post on Nov. 16, 1902, notes the parks service website. 

The cartoon was drawn by artist Clifford Berryman. It satirized an incident on a hunting trip in Mississippi in which Roosevelt refused to shoot and kill a black bear that had been tied to a willow tree. 

Roosevelt was known to be a skilled hunter. 

He thought it was “extremely unsportsmanlike” to shoot a bear that had been tied up, says the NPS website. 

“I’ve hunted game all over America and I’m proud to be a hunter. But I couldn’t be proud of myself if I shot an old, tired, worn-out bear that was tied to a tree,” Roosevelt reportedly said at the time. 

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The news of Roosevelt’s refusal to shoot the bear spread quickly around the country, resulting in the cartoon — and, eventually, the stuffed toy. 

“Michtom decided to create a stuffed toy bear and dedicate it to the president who refused to shoot a bear,” says the site. 

Rose Michtom “cut out some pieces of fabric and sewed on some button eyes and put it in the window with the name, ‘Teddy’s Bear.’ It was an overnight hit,” says the website for the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. 

The president later gave Michtom permission to use his nickname for the new product — and the toys quickly became popular, notes the museum. 

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The success of the Teddy bear resulted in a career shift for the Michtoms. 

The president later gave Michtom permission to use his nickname for the new product.

In 1907, Michtom and his wife founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Co. 

Although initially the company focused on Teddy bears, it eventually became known for producing a series of collectible dolls, the website Collector’s Weekly says. 

The Teddy bear’s popularity over traditional dolls also drew concerns from at least one figure, notes the Smithsonian Museum of American History’s website. 

In 1908, five years after the toy was first sold, a minister in Michigan “warned that replacing dolls with toy bears would destroy the maternal instincts in little girls,” said the Smithsonian. 

In 1963, for the Teddy bear’s 60th birthday, Benjamin Michtom — the son of Rose and Morris Michtom — attempted to unite the original bear with a descendant of its namesake. 

“What does a 79-year-old doll want with a 60-year-old bear?” 

“He first contacted Mrs. Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter, to offer her one of the original Teddy Bears if she would pose with it,” says the Smithsonian. 

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Longworth apparently declined the offer, reportedly asking, “What does a 79-year-old doll want with a 60-year-old bear?” 

Undeterred, Benjamin Michtom then reached out to Kermit Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt’s grandson, and asked if he would allow his children to be photographed with the bear, the Smithsonian reported. 

Benjamin Michtom intended for the bear to be given to the Smithsonian Institution after the photo shoot, but Mark and Anne Roosevelt had other plans. 

They took a liking to the bear and hid it from their parents. 

“A letter from Mrs. Roosevelt to Mr. Michtom said, ‘I was about to get in touch with the Smithsonian about presenting them with the original bear when the children decided they didn’t want to part with it yet,’” said the Smithsonian.

Eventually, the original Teddy bear was given to the Smithsonian Institution in January 1964, the website notes. 

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