Memorial Day

Commermorates U.S. Solders who give their lives while in the military services.

First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War. First started as Decoration Day, and sponsored by the Women's Relief Corps, with 10,000 members.

In 1865, in Waterloo, NY, a social gathering was held to honor the patriotac dead of the Civil War by decorating their graves.

In Columbus, Mississippi in 1866, a group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in the battle at Shilo. Near by were the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because they were the enemy. Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of their flowers on those graves as well.

We cherish too, the Poppy red

That grows on fields where valor led,

It seems to signal to the skies

That blood of heroes never dies.

(Moina Michael, 1915)

Elvis Presley's teddy bear was named Mabel.
She was a 1909 Steiff and sold at an Elvis memorabilia auction in Memphis, TN., USA for $75,000 dollars! Do you remember Elvis singing "My Teddy Bear"?

Today is International Jazz Day.

Teddy likes cool jazz which arose during the second world war. During this time, jazz musicians from California moved to New York and mixed their music style with the bebop musicians. The smooth sound of saxophonist Lester Young also influenced the new combo sound which became cool jazz. The term "cool" started being applied to this music in 1953. Teddy was adopted around that time and he is a cool teddy bear.

Arctophiles

Are you a Arctophiles?

Arctophiles are some of my most favorite people. I call myself a arctophile. Well, I don't go around the city streets screaming "I'm a arctophile, I'm a arctophile", but I am one. What is a arctophile,

it's a avid Teddy Bear collector! Are you one?

First Teddy Bear

Morris Michtom and his wife Rose of New York! The first teddy bear was a plush velvet and shoe button eyes called Teddy Bear. The Michtoms hard work grew into the Ideal Toy Company. The original teddy bear can be seen at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

The most expensive teddy bear sold in the US, $193,000!
How about a limited edition of 125 teddy bears made by a German company, solid gold and eyes of sapphires and diamonds - 43,000.00 pounds. How many do you want?

Tiny Ted holds the current Guinness World Record for the smallest hand sewn teddy bear. He is 4.5 mm tall, fully jointed hand sewn eyes, nose and mouth. Tiny Ted lives in the Cheju island teddy bear museum in Korea. How would you thread those needles?