Teddy Bear Picnic Day

People spend all day with their teddy bears today, or at least their lunch hour or enough time for a picnic. They have picnics on blankets under shade trees, on the beach, or out in the cool breeze while the sun shines down. Kids and adults alike have picnics. Teddy Bear Picnic Day events are also held at public libraries and museums. Theodore Roosevelt National Park has even hosted an event. Not only do public events consist of picnics, they have sometimes expanded to include crafts, games, and music.

Teddy bears are named after the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. In November 1902, Roosevelt, an avid hunter, went on a hunting excursion organized by Mississippi's governor, Andrew Longino, in Smedes, Mississippi. Roosevelt was accompanied by some aides, other hunters, reporters, and a hunting guide, Holt Collier, and his hunting dogs. After a few days without success, Roosevelt and the hunting dogs were on the trail of a black bear. Having thought they had lost the bear, Roosevelt returned to camp, but Collier and his dogs kept searching. Collier and his dogs found the 235-pound bear, and the dogs circled it and began biting and attacking it. The bear killed one of the dogs, and Collier clubbed the bear over the head and tied it to a tree. He bugled for Roosevelt, who found the bear mauled from the dogs and refused to shoot it. He also forbade anyone else from shooting it, but as the bear was so injured, he had the bear put out of its misery by having it killed with a hunting knife.

A few days later, a cartoon titled "Drawing the line in Mississippi," which showed Roosevelt refusing to shoot the bear, was drawn by Clifford Berryman and appeared in the Washington Post. Rose and Morris Mitchom, store owners in New York City, saw the cartoon and were inspired to create the teddy bear, which they originally called "Teddy's bear." They eventually founded the Ideal Toy Company, which produced the bears and even allegedly wrote to Roosevelt asking his permission to use his name for their bear. About the same time as the Mitchom's debuted their bear, Richard Steiff of Germany created a stuffed teddy bear as well, which also became very popular.

Since the creation of the teddy bear, it has become one of the most iconic toys and comfort items for children and has also been featured in songs, television shows, and movies. Teddy bears have also become important collector's items for adults. But, maybe adults don't just collect bears because of their monetary value. A recent study found that over half of adults still have their favorite stuffed animal they grew up with, 40% sleep with it by their side, and 70% said they want to keep it for the rest of their lives! But what matters most today is that they have a picnic with it!

How to Observe Teddy Bear Picnic Day

Have a picnic with your teddy bear! If you have children, have them bring their teddy bears along for the picnic, too. Sit under a shade tree or have a picnic at the beach. While you could host your own picnic, you could also check for picnic events at public spaces like libraries and museums. You could also listen to "The Teddy Bears' Picnic," a song which may be the first ever mention of the concept of a "teddy bear picnic."

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