Plush Stuffed Smithsonian Teddy Bear

One look at this classic, Plush Stuffed Smithsonian Teddy Bear, and you know can see that the idea of a bear hug—at least one from this adorable teddy—would seem like a wonderful, loving experience. Ready to be your friend for life, this Plush Stuffed Smithsonian Teddy Bear features a thread-stitched nose and jointed arms and legs. Won’t you give him a home? Crafted with high quality, kid-safe, man-made materials—soft plush exterior; polyester fiber interior; lock washer eyes—that meet or exceed all U.S. safety standards. Surface-washable. Imported. Ages 3 and up.  7"l. x 5"w. x 5.5"h.

Museum Provenance

“PRESIDENT CALLED AFTER THE BEAST HAD BEEN LASSOED, BUT HE REFUSED TO MAKE AN UNSPORTSMANLIKE SHOT” was the headline of the Washington Post on November 15, 1902 when President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a 235-pound black bear that had been tied to a tree. A famous political cartoonist for the Washington Star, Clifford Berryman, picked up on the President's refusal to shoot the bear, and used it as a metaphor for Roosevelt's indecision over a Mississippi boundary dispute. Berryman's cartoon soon became well known throughout the United States and inspired Brooklyn candy store owners Rose and Morris Michtom to make the first stuffed bear toy, which they appropriately named Theodore Roosevelt. Before making additional bears, Morris Michtom wrote to Roosevelt to ask his permission to make a small bear cub and call it "Teddy's Bear." The toys collection at the American History Museum, Behring Center, includes a classic teddy bear.

Every Smithsonian purchase will arrive with a museum provenance card explaining how it is adapted from or inspired by an object or objects in our collection.