27th January, 2021
Paddington. 2014
What is a teddy bear?
A teddy bear is a stuffed toy that plays a special role in the wellbeing of a baby, infant, and child. Scientists say that teddy bears help young children transition in some way, easing the separation between mother and child.
The teddy bear has an interesting origin: As one of the world’s most age-old beloved stuffed toy, the teddy bear was named after American President Theodore Roosevelt. This happened after Roosevelt refused to shoot a black bear during a Mississippi hunting trip in November, 1902 (Nix, 2020). A candy shop owner in Brooklyn, Morris Michtom and his wife Rose, invented the teddy bear in 1902 (Wikipedia, n.d.) After viewing the incident which had been memorialised as a political cartoon by Clifford Berryman, the Michtoms decided to create a stuffed toy bear. And thus called it ‘Teddy’s Bear’ (Alyssa, 2021).
Teddy bears have since become a physical symbol of comfort that have the strong potential of boosting compassion amongst children. The teddy bear’s inclusion in play and sleep is linked to emotional health through the comfort the toy provides. Studies have shown that children are natural “anthropomisers” (Seeker, 2015), meaning that they believe that almost everything can think and feel like humans can. This can be considered as one of the reasons why teddy bears go on to become beloved childhood objects that are intrinsically connected to adult development.
Teddy bears and baby security blankets are all comfort objects which children build a very strong attachment to. A comfort object or transitional object is an item used to provide psychological comfort, at bedtime for children or during unusual or unique situations (psychology, n.d.), which they grip onto as a safety mechanism. These are inanimate objects which children will have affection for, and in many cases, continue to into adulthood. Due to the fact that soft toys have a feminine association, girls are more likely to remain attached at 5 or 6 years of age as opposed to boys who will probably face the gender-based, social pressures to move away from playing with soft toys (Pappas, 2010).
As a traditional and timeless toy (Corner, n.d.), the teddy bear is a good example of “essentialism”. “Essentialism” is the idea that objects are more than just their physical properties (Pappas, 2010). Therefore, objects are rendered as emotional entities. A child’s need for a friend leads them to create an imaginary friend or the personification of an object. Personification is the attribution of human qualities to non-human objects (Willhite, 2018).
Snuggling a teddy bear is to embrace our inner baby and child. Or simply it is an inanimate object that makes you happy due to the feelings or memories it brings back. Teddy bears give many better sleep. With a smell that reminds you of home, your mother’s soft scent or grandmother’s warm cardigan.
Jackie Miley, owner of the world’s largest teddy bear collection and holder of the Guinness World Records title. 2017
Miley’s collection was last officially counted in December 2012, with a total of 8,026 teddy bears which she has been continuing to add to since then. When asked about her vast collection, Miley said "It's a house of memories, and I'm just a keeper of those memories."
Johnny Sundby Jackie Miley is the curator of Teddy Bear Town in Hill City, South Dakota (Conneely, 2009).
Bibliography
Alyssa. (2021, January 23). The Story of the Teddy Bear. Retrieved from National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/thrb/learn/historyculture/storyofteddybear.htm
Conneely, S. (2009, December 10). Teddy Bear Collection Sets Guiness World Record. Retrieved from American Profile: https://americanprofile.com/articles/guiness-world-record-teddy-bear-collection/
Corner, F. (n.d.). National Teddy Bear Day: Why teddy bears are an important part of growing up. Retrieved from Family Corner: https://www.familycorner.co.uk/national-teddy-bear-day-why-teddy-bears-are-important-part-growing#:~:text=The%20benefits%20of%20having%20a%20teddy%20bear&text=%E2%80%9CThe%20teddy%20bear%20is%20a,a%20friend%20to%20talk%20to.
Nix, E. (2020, January 14). Who Invented the Teddy Bear? Retrieved from History: https://www.history.com/news/who-invented-the-teddy-bear#:~:text=One%20of%20the%20world's%20most,hunting%20trip%20in%20November%201902.
Pappas, S. (2010, October 10). Even Grown-Ups Need Security Blankets. Retrieved from Live Science: https://www.livescience.com/8737-grown-ups-security-blankets.html
psychology, C. (n.d.). Comfort object. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_object
Seeker. (2015, February 23). Why You Still Love Your Teddy Bear. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B_GxNrcdoA
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Morris Michtom. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Michtom
Willhite, S. (2018, October 11). How Do Teddy Bears Comfort Us? Retrieved from Renewed Mental Health: http://www.renewedmentalhealth.com/teddy-bears-comfort-us/
Video References
Haigh, J. (2016, August 26). Power of Hugs and the Ripple Effect of Caring. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5MeJ2pQcK8
Mooallem, J. (2014, May 27). The strange story of the teddy bear and what it reveals. Retrieved from YouTubeJon Mooallem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEjyPqyFe_s
Records, G. W. (2017, September 28). World's Largest Teddy Bear Collection. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1ewHZQpIqU
ImageSource
Out, T. (2014, November 20). Paddington. Retrieved from Time Out: https://www.timeout.com/movies/paddington
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