teddy's collection

In America, the teddy bear came into being with a cartoon showing President Theodore Roosevelt refusing to shoot a baby bear. According to this tale, Roosevelt had traveled to Mississippi to help settle a border dispute between that state and Louisiana, and while there, found time to go bear hunting. There were no bears to be found, but his hosts were desperate that he should have a good time. So eventually someone captured a bear and invited Roosevelt to shoot it. Roosevelt's refusal to fire at such a helpless target inspired the famous cartoon with its message regarding the two ways Roosevelt was drawing a line, ie settling a border dispute and refusing to shoot a captive animal.