Reason Teddy Bears were invented goes viral on TikTok, but is it true?

TikTok users have become obsessed with the reason why Teddy Bears were first made, though some of them have questioned if it’s actually real and true.

Since TikTok became an all-encompassing social media app, it has covered pretty much every corner of the internet. You’ll find the typical stuff like cooking videos, pets being silly, and skateboarders falling over, but there’s plenty of other content as well. 

It’s also become somewhat of a teaching tool and a platform for people to spread stories that they’re interested in. Some tries things are a little weird, as stories about mythical creatures get spread, but some are based more on fact. 

Most recently, users have been obsessing over the reason behind the creation of Teddy Bears, with some noting the link to former US President Teddy Roosevelt. So, is it true? 

Why were teddy bears invented?

Posts on the topic have been shared across TikTok for quite some time now, but interest has been cropping back up in 2023. 

According to both History and the United States Parks Services, the story is in fact true and stems from a hunting trip that Roosevelt went on in November of 1902. Roosevelt’s hunting party struggled to find a bear, but when they did, it said that it was tied up to a tree so the then-President could claim the kill. 

Roosevelt denied it and was mocked in newspapers for doing so with a cartoon of the hunt. This gave Morris Michtom, from Brooklyn, the idea to create toy bears, and named them after Roosevelt. Ergo, Teddy Bears. 

Some TikTok users have commented that they were taught the fact in school but had simply forgotten about it.

“I loved it because I had no idea about the story behind the teddy bear,” said one user who wasn’t in the know beforehand. “There’s always a gnarly backstory when it comes to children’s books and nursery rhymes,” added another.