Ideal Novelty and Toy Company

Morris Michtom along with his wife Rose ran a Novelty and Candy Store in Brooklyn, New York. Rose had been making toy bears for them to sell in their store, when Morris got the idea to send one to the then American President, Theodore - Teddy - Roosevelt. This was just after the Berryman fiasco, where the President had been drawn by the political cartoonist, Clifford Berryman with a Bear Cub. Morris asked Mr Roosevelt if he could use the name -Teddys Bear- for his cuddly products, and he said yes, making history. Originally a company called Butler Brothers mass produced the Teddy Bear for Michtom, before he started his own company ... the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company. From 1938 to 1982 it was known as Ideal Toy Company.