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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Terry Tang

A raggedy toy to a treasured symbol of childhood: The teddy bear

Theodore Roosevelt
America 250 Objects Teddy Bear - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The circular muzzle. The little nose tip. The button eyes and two round, fuzzy ears. What is it about the teddy bear that has kept children wrapped around its furry paws for over a century?

The quintessential American toy started in 1902 as just clothing scraps and sawdust stitched together by Morris and Rose Michtom, Jewish candy store owners in Brooklyn.

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