Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Hello, Joanne. This is my old bear on my blog. I thank you for taking the time to see my blog and pictures. This bear of mine is in all original condition. i have learned that the Michtom's in 1903 created this bear to stand upright and to have this everlasting smile!. Can you see my old bear smile with his full open mouth!

I have tried to post on this site, pictures of my old bear but some how I just can't get it right. For those who would like to pictures and  read my  blog please Google in Robert Csech, Prospect Heights Patch. I absolutely have a very early, undocumented Ideal bear circa 1903. I have learned that some people believe the original American bear had teeth. Well he did not have teeth.  Teeth came along with the cracker jack bears in 1905. And then of course the books written on the Roosevelt bears in late 1905.And lets not for get the Laughing Roosevelt bear made by the Columbia Teddy Bear Co. Many people say this is my old bear , Well he is not. You see the Columbia Teddy Bear Company tried to duplicate, Morris Michtom's original teddy bear but they just quite didn't have the talent the Michtom's had just down the street in Brooklyn, N.Y.  Before this date came buttons, pin back buttons, glass plates, post cards. Documenting the original Teddy Roosevelt bear with a full open mouth with just a tongue. These items are rare and hard to get. but they are around. P.S. About a month age I sent a nice letter and pictures of my bear to Valerie Rogers, Editor of Bears and Buds. To this day I have received No Reply. She Knows about my old bear!

Hello, Today I attempted to change my Avatar. It took me ten years to realize that my old bear was designed to stand upright. With flat feet, stiff body parts and fully jointed. Last year at a local Doll and Teddy Bear show. As I walked around with my old bear in a big bag, stopping at the Teddy Bear Artist tables. This lady behind her table introduced herself as Celia Baham. She said she had many years of restoring vintage teddy bears. She said that my old bear was an Ideal bear alright... She said that he was the million dollar bear. I responded by saying, I don't want to here that. This old bear of mine belongs in the Smithsonian Institute!! She then said, "they will just want you to donate him". I then quickly moved on with my old bear. Later that week I took time on this computer to look up this lady and found out that she is a very respected person today in the teddy bear artist world! She is the number one doctor for the Bears and Buds magazine. For the last year I have been writing letters to important people about my old bear. With little reply, people just don't believe what I have! These original Teddy's were lost in Time. So I am asking the people of Teddy Talk, What am I to do! This old bear of mine belongs in the Smithsonian Institute!! To share with the world!

On Friday, May 11. This was an exciting day. This was the first time, that I have openly carried my old bear around a show. The people were amazed to see my old bear. As I stopped at the Artist tables, I jokingly said "I am hear to find my old bear a mate". Both, the Artist and the customers laughed. As I stopped at Felicia Hymer (The Bear Scout) table. Full of excitement, she quickly reached for her camera and took pictures of me and my Teddy Roosevelt bear. She said, she had a good friend (Ken Yenke) to show them to. I just can't wait to here back from her.

Is, A Collector's History of the TEDDY BEAR by Patricia N. Schoonmaker, 1981 Hobby House Press, Inc. In this book on page 257 you will see, illustration 622. A Rare book by Clara Andrews Williams that was featured in Playthings Magazine in 1907 and says "These are genuine ' Teddy Bears' of the plush kind". This 1907 Teddy Bear book, by Clara Andrews Williams can be see on this computer in wonderfull color. This is my Teddy Bear, although my bear is 109 year old. Also in this great book on page 293 is a picture of a pantin bear, Circa 1909, Beverly Port Collection. This bear is standing with a wonderful, yet simple smile. This is my bears smile, exactly, as you look directly into the face of my old bear. The legend says the Michtom's bear taimed the beast. He was sweet, innocent and had an endearing baby face. And ENDEARING means Everlasting Smile! As I said before, The Michtoms original Teddy's bear in 1903 simply stood upright in the store front window and had this wonderful smile. This is what caused the frenzy for the local people of New York, to acquire these bears. They had never seen such a wonderfull stuffed toy. This was the very begining of the Teddy Bear World as we know it today. I am seeking a writer to co-author a book. I have so much more information to share with the world. Robert Csech.

By 1905, Ideal teddy bears no longer stood upright. By 1910, Ideal teddy bears no longer had claws on their feet and paws. Today, Teddy's bear lives in Dublin, California. What puzzeles me the most is that in 1942, Tweed Roosevelt, the great-grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt was born in Berkeley, California. Just 15 miles north of Dublin, California.

In late 1902, Morris and Rose Michtom of Brooklyn, New York, created this new stuffed toy, made in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt. This new stuffed toy bear simply stood upright, flat footed, fully jointed and had facial features, that had never been seen before. The Michtoms designed the face of this bear with a open mouth that smiled! Next to this bear a sign read, Teddy's Bear! Before this time, toys were made more realistic, looking. The public, just adored these new stuffed toys, the demand grew so fast. The Michtoms couldn't keep up with the demand so before long they downgraded their product. Doing away with the open mouth! And history was made! So very few of these original Teddy's were made by hand as the Michtoms sewd bears, night and day to keep up with the demand. And now after eleven years of researching this very old Teddy of mine, I have determined him to be an Original, Teddy Roosevelt Bear circa 1903. This past year I have taken my bear to the Vallejo and Pleasanton Ca. Doll and Teddy Bear Shows. Stopping at a few chosen T/B Artist tables, showing them my great find, to see them become amazed at what I had. One Artist with twenty-five years in the business said my old bear was definitely an Ideal Bear in good condition. My old Teddy is a wealth of information in original condition. For now, my old Teddy is camera shy, he awaites the day for that someone special who authenticates him. The early Ideal bears are known for many facial changes. Happy New Years To All.

This past November, I was told by good authority that my old bear was a Petz bear and that he was in this book! "All of known bears are missing their tongue, when your bear still has his original tongue", he said! After obtaining this book and going over each page many times. I have concluded that my Old Teddy Bear is not in this book! Petz bears are identified by their berral shaped body and a slit for their ears. The ears are not sewn on but stuck in a pre-sliced hole. This is NOT my bear! Also in this book I see Peter, bear by Gebr. Subenguth circa 1925 with it's big googly eyes attached to his tongue inside his hollow head. When Peter is tilted, his tongue moves from side to side, and his eyes roll from left to right. This is NOT my bear! My research, continues.

Hello, Us Bears, Yes , I agree, I need to have my old bear appraised. I have writen several experts in the field but no reply. Including Museums in New York, San Francisco. In the Teddy Bear World, seems to me, the famous authors and experts are in hiding, hard to contact. This is where I thought Teddy Talk might help me connect with knowledgeable appraiser. This takes time, I will be patient.  The primary purpose of provenance is to conferm or gather evidence as to the time, place.  Yes, this is exactly what I am doing in my research. The world accepts the Smithsonian Bear as being the original Teddy Bears along with the 1903 and 1904 Steiff Bears. With my intense research, I have concluded there is a missing link. which is the very first hand-sewn Teddy's from Morris and Rose Michtom. If I didn't have this old teddy bear of mine, I could care less. But I have discovered, my old Teddy is key evedence to the legendary bear.

Hello, Thomas. Over the past two years of indepth research on my bear, body style. He is to my belief a very early, undocumented, Ideal Teddy Bear. I believe with all my heart he is older than the Smithsonian Bear. I date the Smithsonian Bear 1905/1906 because of his longer arms, softer body, rounded foot pads and loose skin as in mass production. The Smithsonian Bear was not designed to stand upright by himself. And much less detailes in his face.  My old teddy is very stiff, hard bodied, very tight skined and his front closing seem is sewn in puckers, not streight up at all. There is no documentation on very early, Ideal teddy's because they did not survive. So few were hand made by the Michtoms, they just didn't survive. All documentation on early Ideal bears are from their mass production styles. From 1905, 1906 etc. The volume of mass production is the reason these early bears survived from Steiff and Ideal.  I do realize the Smithsonian dates their bear from 1903. But the hand sewn teddy's from Rose Michtom, are only documented as a Legend, 1903 and 1904 are Legendary Teddy Bears. In my research, the world has no examples of these early bears. My old Teddy belongs in the Smithsonian Instatute. This is the monetary value I put on my bear. He is an American Icon. I thank you for your comment.

It was the year, 2003, in San Francisco, Ca. There I was standing in a very long line, holding my old Teddy Bear. People everywhere, turning their heads, pointing at my bear. Asking me, do you what to sell that bear? No, no, no, I replied! As my turn finally arrived in front of the Appraiser, an older gentleman. For the whole one minuite, he looked at my bear. He kept his thumb nail on my Teddy's eyes, getting the feel of it. Glass eyes he said, made in the 1920s, probably German made, very well made, valued at $1600. Next, please. Years later, I find out with my intense research, how wrong he was! Today I see on this modern computer, pictures of the laughing Theodore Roosevelt Bear, circa 1907, New York has the same glass eyes as my old bear. In books these glass eyes with a large black pupils are dated 1903 to 1913.

From 1905 to 1907, Both in America and overseas, the earliest postcards of teddy bears were in cartoon fashion. With the teddy bear having a full open mouth. Because they knew the actual first Teddy Bear had this feature along with being able to stand upright like a doll. By 1906, other American teddy bear companies sprang up around New York. The new companies knew they had to have a gimick, to jump start their company as Ideal did. So companies created teddies like the laughing Theodore Roosevelt bear and teddies that their eyes lit up. By 1905 Teddy's no longer stood upright, they were filled with a softer material. (In 1907 a postcard was published, warned that if the Teddy Bear did not stand again, the bear himself would be finished. On page 43 of the book, The Century of the Teddy Bear by Constance King.)

Hello, Karen, My goal is to spread the information, bits and pieces at a time of Morris and Rose Michtom. This information I have compiled together in past years of intence research of them. I am not a writer but I feel the world needs to know this information. This information, I plan to write about is all about the very begining of the Teddy Bear! I do beleive there are people out there that would like to know more about this subject. There are millions of web sites on the internet about Morris Michtom and his first creation that say the same thing over and over, very little information. I plan to take this subject, in-depth and maybe with some feedback from readers, more missing pieces can be found. I am just proud to share what information I have discovered!

Hello, My goal, in my short stories is to help, revive the interest in this Brooklyn couple who created the first teddy bear! After-all, History is the key to the future! In today's world, the original teddy bear story has become a legend! But, as the author, Frank Murphy said in his book "Theodore Roosevelt refusing to shoot that bear, Clifford Berryman's cartoon, and the Michtom's creation of the first teddy bears is based on fact." And, this factual information is what I intend to talk about! These bits and pieces of clues, of information connecting to the original teddy bear are out there in books, old pictures and postcards and on this computer! Just waiting for someone to piece together, like a puzzel. But, don't forget the most improtant ingredient needed and that is, to be patient! The original Teddy Bear has been in hibernation for over a hundred years now, awaiting patiently. Sooner or later, one of these early Teddy's were bound to show up, right! Maybe not. I have a very good feeling about, this year of 2011 and next year, 2012 to be very prosperous years for the Teddy Bear World! With much needed excitement. I realize this subject of mine is a place where very few people dare to go and indepth, research but the answers are out there! People accept what little is known about the Michtom's and leave it at that. The very early years, of the Teddy Bear were filled with much excitement, worldwide. The President, himself realized the charming appeal of this newly created stuffed toy bear and used it in his advantage to win another term in office.

This Original Teddy, created by Morris and Rose Michtom of Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1903 can be seen at, Google in, (Theodore Roosevelt, Square Deal, glass plate) dated 1904. In both Brooklyn museum and Cornell Univ. web sites. These same early Teddy's are on early postcards dated 1905 to 1910. These early Teddy's were lost in time! Until, we re-discover them!