When one thinks about stuffed animals and plush toys today one almost always thinks of the iconic teddy bear. However, the teddy bear is actually a fairly recent arrival. The first of them came in 1902 when a store owner in Brooklyn, New York saw a political cartoon called 'Drawing the Line in Mississippi'. This cartoon showed then president Theodore Roosevelt, who was also known as 'Teddy', refusing to shoot a cornered bear during an actual hunting trip. Roosevelt stated that it would not be very sportsmanlike of him to do so.

The bear had appeared in a past series of cartoons as cute, cuddly and small. The store owner, Morris Michtom, used this image to inspire the creation of stuffed bears marketed as toys for children. The store was already equipped to produce the toys as his wife had been produced stuffed bears for some time so Morris was able to begin producing stuffed bears in the image of the President immediately.

Michtom sent a sample of the toy to President Roosevelt, requesting at the same time that the President allow use of his nickname in the name of the toy. President Roosevelt okayed this, and this is where the toy teddy bear began to become a part of popular culture. From their earliest days these stuffed bears showed great popularity, and when Mr. Michtom put a sign in his window advertising 'Teddy Bears' this name soon become synonymous with these stuffed animals.

Soon many other stores began selling the toy bear. Media and documents of the time reference these stuffed animals. Books, newspapers, and music of the time talk about teddy bears through out the United States and Europe. Teddy bears soon became popular collector's items. Collector's of toys, vintage dolls, and antique dolls often also have plush bears among their collection.

Some toy bears are quite valuable. For example, a toy bear woven partly from gold and produced by the original manufacturer to commemorate the toy's 125th anniversary is being sold for $84,000. Michtom's company that marketed the first teddy bear, the Ideal Novelty and Toy Co., is also still in business today.

You don't have to spend lots of money to amass a collection of toy bears. The antique ones sometimes turn up at yard sales, at rummage sales, in internet auctions, and at places frequented by collectors. It is not only a collectible which got its name from President Theodore Roosevelt, it is also a delightful companion for a child.