Author’s Note: Research is credited to National Day Calendar, Wikipedia and PlushieDepot

I’ll assume it’s safe to say that nearly everyone reading this owned at least one teddy bear or other stuffed toy growing up. Even today, they are a key component to childhood and often a child’s most beloved possession. They are a comfort, a companion and a source of joy.

Teddy bears are one of the most popular toys, and they have well-earned their own national holiday, celebrated each year on Sept. 9.

The story of the teddy bear’s origin dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century. The president of the U.S. at that time was Theodore Roosevelt (who credits his political success to his own time spent in Western North Dakota). In 1902, President Roosevelt was hunting along the Mississippi River with the governor of Mississippi, Andrew H. Logino. The story goes that the president’s hunting companions suggested he shoot a bear they had restrained. The president refused and the incident was made into a political cartoon that appeared in the Washington Post.

Morris Michtom was a candy store owner in Brooklyn who saw the cartoon and was inspired to make a small stuffed bear to display in his store beside a sign that said “Teddy’s bear.”

The phenomena took off and spread across the world. 

Teddy bears are one of the most popular toys, and they have well-earned their own national holiday, celebrated each year on Sept 9.

Teddy bears have been depicted as famous cartoon characters such as Winnie the Pooh and Paddington (both of which have movies, books and TV series to their credit.) They are also sidekicks for other fictional characters, such as the comic cat Garfield’s Pooky; the 1970s TV series M*A*S*H’s character Radar had a stuffed bear and Sesame Street’s Big Bird named his own teddy bear companion Radar. There has also been Fozzie Bear from The Muppets and the Care Bears.

Teddy Bear fame hasn’t stopped at TV appearances, cartoons and books; they have multiple museums across the globe in their honor, they have been featured on postage stamps, there is a Teddy Bear Garden theme park in China and a bear even boarded the National Space Station in 2016.

Much more than a children’s toy, while also being the heart of their identity, teddy bears have a rich history and an international fame–quite a broad platform despite being barely 120 years old! The stuffed toys have captured the hearts of generations and it only seems right that we honor them on Sept. 9.