A Teddy Bear Story

"Mama, can i go play?"

Not realising the peril that awaited her cub, the mother bear said, "Yes."

The cub bounced and tumbled through the woods without a care in the world. As all young creatures do, he was exploring the world around him.

A flash of bright colour caught the cub's eye. This was a new and wonderous event for him. Unable to contain his curiosity he gave chase.

The butterfly flittered here and there with the cub in hot pursuit. This playfull romp after the butterfly led the cub into a small clearing where he was captured by a man from a hunting party which included President Theodore Roosevelt.

The cub was offered to President Roosevelt to shoot as the hunting had been so poor. The President's decision not to destroy the cub was immortalised in a cartoon which appeared all across America.

The Michtom's of Brooklyn, New York, were so inspired by the compassion of their President, they created a toy bear and named it Teddy's Bear.

This was the humble beginnings of the love affair the entire world has today, over 100 years later, with the Teddy Bear.

Story contributed by Leigh Grace