Smithsonian Magazine27d
How a Stuffed Animal Named Billy Possum Tried—and Failed—to Replace the Teddy Bear as America’s National Toy
In 1909, wealthy widow Susie W. Allgood marketed a plush marsupial inspired by President William Howard Taft. But children thought the toy looked "too much like a rat," and it sold poorly ...
Smithsonian Magazine on MSN1mon
Discover How President Theodore Roosevelt Inspired the World’s First Teddy Bear, Which Went on Sale on This Day in 1903
The story of the teddy bear then turns to Rose and Morris Mitchtom who owned a candy store in New York City. Taking inspiration from the depiction of the black bear in Berryman’s cartoon ...