🐻 When is National Teddy Bear Day 2024

There’s a toy that we are pleased as Punch to get at any age, both in the early childhood and in the adulthood. So soft, warm, understanding, and so plushy… The teddy bear! We bet, everyone at least once in their life grabbed the hand of the parent and pulled them inside the store with the huge windows demonstrating those cuties!

By the way, this stuffed animal is much older than you think. Approximately, it is about 110 years old. Read on if you want to find out when is National Teddy Bear Day in 2024 and what else you didn’t know about the furry fellow.

History

Unfortunately, we can’t say what year the holiday dates back to or who is responsible for its invention. There’s no any record related and it might be known only to the bears themselves. However, we can tell a lot on the point of the toy’s history!

The name – Teddy – is not just the author’s fancy, it’s actually called in honor of the twenty-sixth President of America Theodor Roosevelt. Disliking that diminutive form of the name, he got to be immortalized not only in the political heritage of the country but also in the story regarding the soft icon’s creation.

In 1902, Mr. President was on a business trip to Mississippi and got an invitation to join the hunt with the governor of the state. Spending the whole day in the forest, the head didn’t manage to catch something yet his companions drove the bear into the trap and suggested him to shoot the animal. Looking at the tired suffering beast, Roosevelt rejected the offer telling that it would be of no respect to the hunting rules. Nevertheless, he ordered to kill the creature so as to stop its torments. The occurrence was quick to spread as the caricature had followed being published in all the newspapers and magazines. Although the bear was big and rather old in reality, the picture portrayed the cub.

Then, there are two versions of how the toy came into being, both of them are true and it’s likely that they happened at the same time yet in the different continents. The first one claims that the wife of the man who ran the toy store became so inspired by the cartoon that made several furry boys and placed them under the window christened them as Teddy’s Bears. Having noticed the people’s interest, the man wrote a letter to the President and asked whether he’d allow using his name. Roosevelt agreed, although at that time he didn’t even think that shortly after it would be the millions-worth industry that threatened to replace the dolls at the hands of the girls!

The second one states that a young man from Germany came up with a brilliant idea of constructing the plush bear with movable legs. His aunt translated the project into reality and presented it at the toys’ exhibition. The unusual thing drew the attention of the American businessman and thus the first batch of three thousands of the toys arrived in the US where they took the name of Teddy.

Since those times, the “teddy fever” has begun. Ten years on, England got engaged in manufacturing the toys as well, and in the 30’s there were spawned the plush clockwork chaps. After the World War II, the craze decreased a bit – the market was crammed with the bears made of the cheap fabric producing in the Asian countries. Nonetheless, the 80’s lit up the star of the toy once again as the new variety had appeared – the gray cuteness with the patches and blue nose, and the words on its chest saying “Me to you”.

Today, the Teddy is 115 years old but it is still much-loved among all ages. And we’re sure, everyone is interested to know, when is International Teddy Bear Day 2024.

Meaning

What does National Teddy Bear Day mean? Well, it means the praise and appreciation of a friend that almost each of us has had and that keeps so many memories inside.

At the shelves of the toy shops, we see myriads of the various stuffed animals – cats and hares, puppies and piggies, foxes and wolves. But the special place – both in the windows and in the children’s hearts – is always reserved for the teddies. The plush creature is much more than just a toy; it is an obvious symbol of the childhood as the happiest and carefree period.

The babies love to sleep with the bear near them; the kids enjoy feeding them with what their mummy gave for breakfast and trust them their secrets; the adults buy them as their mascot or the way to express their feelings to the better half.

The all-embracing love for the cuddle fellow found its way to the culture as well. The most popular tale with the bear as the main hero is Winnie the Pooh. The author bestowed the character with the reasonableness and the cheerful temper. A lot of animated cartoons were made after the opus that stole the hearts of the millions teddy’s enthusiasts. And of course, the recent movie “Ted” also features the one of the teddy’s ilk.

No matter what day National Teddy Bear Day in 2024 falls on, always remember how lucky you are to have that loyal buddy!

Definition

The historic records say that even the aviators took along the teddy bears during the wartime – that’s how the toy is loved and respected.

Nowadays, nine out of ten girls will answer that the most romantic gift is … a huge plushy animal. In general, the big chaps are intended for the adults as the children are more into the small friends – so many games can be played with it! The today’s versions share the appearance yet are more advanced than the forefathers; oftentimes they are able to talk, record the speech and move on their own.

The buddy’s dimensions are the same as those of the baby. Perhaps, that’s one of the reasons that can explain the popularity among the women and little girls. The animals are usually made of the soft material – the plush, mohair or velour – but are stuffed tightly, that’s why they are so nice to touch. Many individuals prefer to collect the toy bears. Annually, thousands of the collectors, artists, producers or just the wild nature aficionados gather in Germany for visiting the exhibition in honor of the cutie. The keenest of the collectors obtain the rare species encrusted with gold and jewels for the sky-high prices.

The teddies even have around twenty museums all over the world! Not bad, isn’t it? So, what is the date of National Teddy Bear Day 2024? It’s September 9.

Traditions

How you celebrate the holiday? If you’re an adult, climb up to the attic and bring all of your former friends together. You may have forgotten about them yet they are never to leave you. However, who knows, maybe you still sleep with the bear burying its head in the pillow nearby. Anyway, there’s no shame about that!

Breathe new life into the soft toys: spruce up their hair, sow the necessary patches or stitch back the torn off eye. The well-known song offers another good way to spend this day which is to go on a picnic. No teddy bear will refuse, so call your like-minded friends and have some fun with your toys outside.

And if you settled down to the family life, you can be involved, too. Give your child the stuffed animal, from the shop or from the attic, thus beginning the tradition of handing down the toy to the next generations!

Teddy Bear Day Facts

• The largest manufacturers of the toy bears are China and Indonesia.
• The most expensive fellow was bought for the mind-blowing $90,000.

Mark in the calendar, when is Teddy Bear Day in 2024, and keep this childhood icon honored and remembered!