National Teddy Bear Day and its connection to Mississippi

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — On a crisp November day in 1902, President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt made history in a Mississippi hunting camp. However, not for bagging a bear, but for sparing one. That moment, just outside the tiny Delta community of Onward, would give birth to one of the most beloved children’s toys of all time: the teddy bear.

Roosevelt, invited on a hunting trip near Onward, was presented with an old, injured black bear that had been cornered and tied to a tree. Guides urged him to claim the kill, but Roosevelt refused, saying it was unsportsmanlike. A political cartoon soon followed, Clifford Berryman sketching the president’s act of mercy.

That cartoon traveled far beyond the Mississippi woods. In Brooklyn, N.Y., toy shop owners Morris and Rose Michtom saw the illustration and created a stuffed toy bear in Roosevelt’s honor. They dubbed it “Teddy’s Bear,” and a global phenomenon was born.

Each year on September 9, National Teddy Bear Day celebrates the cuddly companion that started as a political moment and became a cultural staple. From nurseries to hospitals, teddy bears have offered comfort for more than a century.

In Onward, the story remains part of the town’s identity. A roadside marker along U.S. Highway 61 tells visitors where Roosevelt’s hunt took place, and the Onward Store —a country store dating back to 1913, proudly shares the tale with travelers.

What began as a decision of compassion in Mississippi’s woods now lives in the arms of millions of children worldwide.