… and why a beast’s image changed from ferocious to cuddly
Independent of one another, Morris Michtom in the USA and Richard Steiff in Germany hatched the same idea at the same time: In 1902/1903 they simultaneously created a plaything that was later to become an iconic item even for collectors. Chances of their copying one another’s intellectual property were slim, as transatlantic communication at the beginning of the twentieth century proved to be less than speedy. The soft, cute and cuddly toy „Teddy Bear“ victoriously found its way into virtually every nursery the world over and has lost nothing of its popularity since. It is comforting, arouses deep sympathy, is usually loved until threadbare and if at all, thrown away only with a heart bleeding forever after.