Teddy Bears are the perfect gift, a symbol of sympathy, congratulations and love.
Everyone has a teddy bear at some stage of their life and all the cool kids have a Tambo Teddy!
Here are 10 cool facts about the teddy bear that we thought you should know:
1. After the Titanic sank in 1912, German toy company Steiff created 500 teddy bears to honor the victims. The “mourning bears” were black with red-rimmed eyes to show their sympathy. They now sell for $20,000 or more in auctions.
2. Winnie the Pooh was based on a real bear. A Canadian soldier bought a black bear cub from a hunter during World War I, and the animal became a pet and mascot for his troop. The bear, named Winnipeg, later was given to the London Zoological Gardens. Christopher Robin Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh author A.A. Milne’s son, took such a liking to her that he named his teddy bear after her.
3. The smallest commercially available stitched teddy bear is a mere 0.29 inches tall. Made by South African “microbear” maker Cheryl Moss. Cheryl’s largest creations are just taller than half an inch.
4. The world’s largest stitched teddy bear was made in 2008 in America, where bigger is better. The 55-foot-4 creation is named C.T. Dreams, which stands for Connect the Dream. You can visit it at the Exploration Place in Wichita, Kansas.
5. Between 2009 and 2010, a British company sent teddy bear Raymondo on a trip that gave him the status of the world’s most travelled toy mascot. In less than a year, he travelled 395,605 miles. Visiting six continents and 35 countries with airline crew members and sponsors.
6. Magellan T. Bear became the first teddy bear in space when he boarded Space Shuttle Discovery in 1995. But he was not just a bear on holiday, he was the “education specialist” on the mission, having been a project for a Colorado elementary school. This teddy bear later flew around the world even visiting the South Pole.
7. A person who is very fond of or loves collecting teddy bears is called an Arctophile. The word arctophile combines the Greek words arctos (bear) and philos (loving/fond of).
8. Speaking of arctophiles- American multi-billionaire investor Paul Greenwood owned the largest collection of teddy bears. In 2010, the US government auctioned his collection of 1300 teddy bears at Christie’s for £1.1 million.
9. Japanese company Fujitsu has manufactured a teddy bear robot for adults that can make simple gestures and even small talk with humans.
10. The term “bear hug” meaning a tight embrace was first used in 1846, almost 60 years before teddy bear was “born”.
After reading this you must agree that teddy bears are very cool bears – and Tambo Teddies are the coolest!