Top 10 facts about teddy bears

The term bear-hug was first recorded in 1846

Hug A Bear Day, celebrated annually, especially by teddy bear manufacturers and toy shops, on November 7.

 

1. The origins of Hug A Bear Day are unclear but it may be connected with the day in November 1902 when Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear on a hunting trip in Mississippi. 

2. Actually the hunting trip was on November 14, not November 7. 

 

3. The incident of Roosevelt sparing the bear led to the popularity and naming of Teddy bears.

4. The story of Goldilocks And The Three Bears was written in 1837 by Robert Southey who was the Poet Laureate at the time. 

 

The Teddy Bears’ Picnic song was originally called The Teddy Bear Two Step

 


The Oxford English Dictionary dates the first use of the term teddy bear to 1906

5. In Southey’s original story, the visitor to the bears’ house was an ugly old woman. Goldilocks only entered the tale in later versions.

The story of Goldilocks And The Three Bears was written in 1837 by Robert Southey who was the Poet Laureate at the time

6. In 1902 in Germany, Steiff launched “Bear 55 PB”, the first toy bear with jointed arms and legs. 

7. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the first use of the term teddy bear to 1906.

8. The Teddy Bears’ Picnic song was originally called The Teddy Bear Two Step. 

In 1902 in Germany, Steiff launched “Bear 55 PB”, the first toy bear with jointed arms and legs

9. It was composed in 1907 by JK Bratton. Its words by Jimmy Kennedy were added in 1932. 

10. Bear hugs predate teddy bears by 60 years. The term bear-hug was first recorded in 1846.