2026-09-09

National Teddy Bear Day 2026

    Blue Eyed Teddy Bear
Over the years I have acquired a few teddy bears all given to me by my beloved mother. I remember my first to be this pink monstrosity with a big ribbon which sat upon my bed until that time I could no longer locate it.

I won a couple at the SC State Fair. Nothing to write home about but they were interesting sitting on a large red neck grump looking character's bedding when friends would visit.

The animal toy known as a "teddy bear" is a stuffed toy bear made of soft fabric and filled with cotton, synthetic fibers, or beans.

The name orignates with the 26th U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt, who refused to shoot a tethered black bear on a 1902 hunting trip in Mississippi because he felt it to be an unsportsman like activity.

Brooklyn shop owner Morris Michtom and German toy maker Richard Steiff were inspired by the story to create the first plush toy bears in 1902–1903.

The bear are known as "Classic" and "Traditional" and are small, jointed mohair bears made by historic brands like Steiff Online-Shop.

Many are fully customizable and interactive plush toys built and dressed at outlets like Build-A-Bear Workshop.

I have never really been a fan of those oversized plush animals, such as the 4-foot versions from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. However I did come to own a few due to my antics at the fair.

All in all a Teddy Bear is more a feminine construct in my mind. However I do not begrudge anyone from having their own.