by Pam North
Two of the most popular toys of all time could hardly be more different from each other in what they represent.
The teddy bear's origin goes back to an American president and a well-known
cartoonist. The cartoon, drawn by Clifford Berryman, was called "Drawing
the Line in Mississippi," and it depicted President Theodore Roosevelt
refusing to shoot a bear. Roosevelt had journeyed to the region to
settle a border dispute between Mississippi and Louisiana, and while there,
he had participated in several days of attempted bear-hunting. That
endeavor had proved so unsuccessful that an exhausted bruin specimen was
finally roughly rounded up by members of the expedition expressly for Roosevelt
to shoot.
The president refused to dispatch the poor creature in so unsportsmanlike
a situation. News of the event reached Berryman, and inspired him
to create a cartoon for the November 16, 1902 edition of the Washington
Post that depicted
the double meaning in which Roosevelt had drawn a line - to set a border
and to refuse to kill a captive animal. Berryman's original cartoon
showed a large adult bear, but in his subsequent version he drew an appealing
cub, and this was the one that captured the attention and fancy of the
American public. Berryman expanded the cub character into a variety
of situations connected with President Roosevelt, and the association with
the bear cub had the effect of endearing Roosevelt to the animal-loving
American populace.
The sensation of the cartoon cub prompted a Brooklyn, New York couple, Morris and Rose Michtom, to make a bear in honor of Roosevelt's actions. Calling their creation "Teddy's Bear," they displayed it prominently in their store window. Its cuddly, appealing design was an instant hit, and demand from the public for the bear encouraged the Michtoms to found the first United States teddy bear manufacturing firm, the Ideal Novelty and ToyCompany.
In the same time frame, the German toy firm, Steiff, had coincidentally
decided to produce a stuffed toy bear inspired by the sketches of bears
drawn by Richard Steiff during his visits to the Stuttgart zoo. The
naturalistic, long-snouted, hump-backed prototype was introduced at the
March, 1903 Leipzig Toy Fair. European toy buyers greeted the toy
with a lukewarm response, but an American buyer, aware of the burgeoning
popularity of "Teddy's Bear," placed an order for 3,000. By 1906,
teddy bears had become a huge fad. Women carried them everywhere,
and children hugged them in photographs. Competing manufacturing
firms sprang all over the United States and Europe. The teddy bear
became the quintessential British childhood toy, and was embraced almost
as enthusiastically throughout the rest of the world as a
companion to hold dear even into adulthood. In 1994, Christie's
auction house sold a rare bear for a record-breaking $176,000, and in 1999,
in the U.S. alone, collectors purchased $441 million worth of bears.
The teddy bear stikes an enduring emotional chord, and continues to be
a popular toy symbolizing acceptance, companionship, love and reassurance.
In contrast to the cuddly, furry teddy bear is Barbie, easily the most
popular doll in history. More than just a doll, she symbolized a
new way of life when she was introduced in 1959. She was a total
departure from the traditional baby dolls that encouraged nurturing; she
symbolized a different set of values. Clearly sexuality was showcased;
her looks were a
composite of Brigitte Bardot's sultry hourglass figure and Grace Kelly's
sleek style. Consumerism was evident in the doll's extensive wardrobe
of clothing and accessories (a spectrum of fashions from pop culture to
haute couture), and a variety of cars, boats, swimming pools and houses.
Here was the original "Material Girl." Female independence was also
part of her charm. Playing mommy was no longer the focus; this doll
was an exciting role model. She had careers (model, veterinarian,
stewardess, nurse, airline pilot, astronaut). Although she had a
boyfriend, Ken, and a variety of wedding dresses to choose from, she never
married him, and the pink Corvettes and condos were all her very own.
She gave a lot of little girls a new set of non-traditional perceptions.
Illustrations for article may be found at:
http://teddybearandfriends.com/history.html
Clifford Berryman cartoon from 1902 , "Drawing the Line in Mississippi"
http://barbiefanatic.bobsville.com/coogcoll.htm
9th or 10th photos down page.......1959 Barbie dolls