In 1902 when President Theodore Roosevelt was in Mississippi to settle a border dispute between Louisiana and Mississippi. While there he went on a hunting trip. Members of the hunting party tied a small, black bear cub to a tree for him to shoot. Seeing how helpless the small bear was he refused.

The next day cartoonist, Clifford Berryman, drew a cartoon depicting Roosevelt refusing to shoot the bear. This prompted shopkeeper, Morris Michtom, asked his wife, Rose, to make a teddy bear to place in his shop window. Morris Michtom contacted the President asking his permission to name the stuffed bear, Teddy. The president agreed and the Teddy Bear was born.

At the same time in Germany, a company owned by Margarete Steiff, was beginning to manufacture a stuffed bear of it’s own. These were the first time stuffed bears were introduced to the world.

From there the popularity of the teddy bear grew. Today almost all children have had a teddy bear at one time or another. Today you will find toy manufacturers, teddy bear artists, and stores selling teddy bears of all shapes and sizes. Gund(r) is a leading manufacturer of soft toys, and is in the same league as The Vermont Teddy Bear Factory when it comes to quality. You can check them out at: www.gund.com, and www.vermontteddybear.com.

Quite a few teddy bear artists have sites on the internet where you can view their teddy bears online.

The teddy bears on, www.tbears.de, are the some of the most expressive, unique teddy bears you will find anywhere. The Lovable Fellows are one-of-a-kind or limited editions. Hours are spent creating each bears face. This gives each bear his own personality traits. If you want to adopt one of these Lovable Fellows you should check them out quickly. Most of the teddy bears on this site have already been adopted. When you visit, www.theoriginalpakabear.com, you will find unique, one of a kind teddy bears made of Alpaca. These bears come in many different colors and some of them are multi-colored.

The site, www.settlerbears.com.au, features one of a kind bears inspired by the island of Australia.

The web site, www.designsbyterri.com, is a fantastic place to find miniature teddy bears. Domino, is a 2 3/4″ tall bent knee bear of black and white, made of upholstery velvet. This tiny teddy comes with his own die cast, taxi pedal car.

On the site, www.tailoredteddies.com, you will find many one of a kind teddies. This site has many fantastic bears. You really don’t want to pass this one by. If you have been thinking about starting a teddy bear collection, you should visit: www.bearhollow.net. This teddy bear collector has opened her home to many adopted teddy bears. Teddy bears reside in every room of the house and some outdoor ports as well. There are also rooms dedicated to bears only. The history of the teddy bear is wonderful and heartwarming. To think of how many thousands of teddy bears have been loved and held by children who considered them a best friend, confidant, protector, and constant companion, it is no wonder they are still the most popular soft toy today.