On November 15, 1902, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt went to Mississippi to help settle a border dispute between Mississippi and Louisiana. While there, Roosevelt went on a bear hunt. The hunt was unsuccessful, and the story is that promoters tied a black bear to a tree for Roosevelt to shoot. Roosevelt declined to be unsportsmanlike and did not shoot the bear. The next day, Washington Post cartoonist Clifford Barryman immortalized the incident in a cartoon showing Roosevelt refusing to shoot the bear. In effect, the cartoon pictured Roosevelt "drawing a line in the sand" by settling a border line dispute, and by refusing to shoot the bear. A Brooklyn, NY shopkeeper, Morris Michtom, displayed two toy bears made by his wife, Rose, in his shop window. They were a huge success. Michtom received permission from President Roosevelt to name the bears "Teddy's Bears." In 1903 Michtom started Ideal Novelty and Toy Corporation, the first US manufacturer of Teddy's Bears. At the same time in Germany, the Steiff Company of Giengen produced its first jointed, stuffed bear, a creation of Margaret Steiff. Steiff's bears were introduced at the 1903 Leipzig Fair, but were not well received by the Europeans. An American buyer, aware of the interest in Teddy's Bears in the states, ordered 3,000 of them to be sent to the US, propelling the Steiff Company forward. Since then, Teddy Bears have been a popular toy in the US. Order your copies of our 100th Anniversary Teddy Dollars today!