The teddy bear emerged out of a presidency. In November 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt was on a bear hunting excursion in Mississippi at the invitation of its governor, Andrew Longino. Roosevelt, ...

All dolls were welcome, Esper said, but the teddy bear—the plush, furry ursine that had become the toy trend of the moment—was not. “Though I shall not forbid it, I would like it understood ...