How did a president become connected to a bear?
From a Mississippi Bear Hunt to the Teddy Bear
In 1902, a bear, a hunting trip, a president, and a newspaper cartoon created a story that would become part of American history. Today, San Diego is where that story comes back to life every year.
It began in Mississippi.
November 1902
Theodore Roosevelt had traveled to Mississippi for a bear-hunting expedition.
After several unsuccessful days, his experienced guide, Holt Collier, tracked a black bear. The bear was eventually captured and Roosevelt was brought to the scene.
Roosevelt refused to shoot it. The circumstances did not feel like a fair hunt to him.
That decision would soon become much more famous than the hunt itself.
Drawing the Line
On November 16, 1902, the Washington Post published a cartoon by Clifford K. Berryman titled:
The cartoon showed Roosevelt refusing to shoot a bear. The image captured the public imagination.
The bear in Berryman’s original cartoon was not the cuddly teddy bear we know today. But as the image was reproduced and evolved, the bear gradually became smaller, softer, and more appealing.
The story was becoming something else.
Teddy’s Bear
The cartoon caught the attention of Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn candy-shop owner who made stuffed toys with his wife, Rose.
Inspired by the cartoon, they created a stuffed bear. Michtom sent one of the bears to Roosevelt and asked permission to use his name.
The name caught on. A presidential hunting story had become a new American toy.
The Bear Becomes an Icon
The teddy bear quickly became much more than a novelty. It became:
A companion. A gift. A childhood memory. A collectible. A symbol of comfort and affection.
And eventually, one of the most recognizable toys in the world.
The Other Teddy Bear Story
There is another important chapter. In Germany, Margarete Steiff and the Steiff company were developing their own stuffed bears around the same period.
The American teddy bear and the Steiff bear followed parallel paths across the Atlantic, helping establish the teddy bear as an international phenomenon.
250 Years Later
The story continues. In 2026, America celebrates its 250th anniversary. And once again, bears are being created to commemorate an important moment in American history.
Special-edition America 250 teddy bears include a limited-edition Steiff bear and other commemorative bears created specifically for the anniversary.
A bear connected to an American president in 1902 is now helping tell the story of 250 years of America.
San Diego is joining that national commemoration in its own way, folding TEDDY into the city’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
The Story Keeps Going
- 1902
Theodore Roosevelt and the Mississippi Bear
- 1902
The Berryman Cartoon
- 1902
“Teddy’s Bear”
- 20th c.
The Teddy Bear Becomes an American and International Icon
- 2026
America Celebrates 250 Years
And the bear is still part of the story.
And in San Diego, that story keeps going twice a year.