Smithsonian Magazine on MSN16d
How a Stuffed Animal Named Billy Possum Tried—and Failed—to Replace the Teddy Bear as America's National Toy
If ‘Teddy Bear,’ why not ‘Billy Possum’?” That was the question posed by a political cartoon in the January 10, 1909, issue of the Atlanta Constitution. Inspired by a highly anticipated “possums and ...
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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 ...
Smithsonian Magazine16d
How a Stuffed Animal Named Billy Possum Tried—and Failed—to Replace the Teddy Bear as America’s National Toy
Inspired by a highly anticipated “possums and taters” banquet that the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce was hosting for incoming President William Howard Taft, the cartoon told the teddy bear to ...