Re-Discover Your Favourite Toy on National Teddy Bear Day

Posted on 09 Sep 2016 by Anna Scott
These days it sometimes feels like all the must-have toys are very much about brands, franchises and favourite characters, so the concept of National Teddy Bear feels very refreshing. Of course, a lot of the bears now available in your favourite toys are about certain brands, but you still can’t beat a classic teddy bear of if you’re stuck for a children’s gift, or even one for an adult. So in honour of National Teddy Bear Day, we thought we’d take a quick look at the history of the teddy bear, and see what’s available online at the moment in terms of classic bears and more contemporary ones…

 

The History of the Teddy Bear


The original teddy bear, or ‘Teddy’s Bear’ as it was first known, was named after former President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, even though he loathed the nickname which inspired the toy. He was first associated with bears after a rather grim story about a hunt, which we won’t go into too much detail about, but the gist of it centres around the fact that he showed mercy (to a certain degree) to an American Black Bear which had been mistreated. The story soon gathered legs and led to both an American toy manufacturer (Morris Michtom) and the famous German toymaker Steiff simultaneously creating a toy bear in his honour.

Although the original teddy bears are now highly sought-after collectors’ items, most of today’s bears are commercially produced, although one traditional bear manufacturer still remains in the UK.

 

Contemporary Bears


Although the toy market is more rich and varied than it has ever been, there are still plenty of different types of teddy bear available from many different online retailers. Build-A-Bear is probably the most well-known teddy bear specialist retailer in the UK, but you can also take you pick from larger toy chains such as Toys R US and The Entertainer too. Here are a few different types of bear to consider and perhaps give you a little bit of gift inspiration in the lead up to Christmas…

 

Halloween Bears


Bear O LanternThe great thing about Build-A-Bear promo codes is that you can pick up a teddy bear for pretty much any occasion and with Halloween coming around again next month, what better sort of bear is there to celebrate with? They’ve got a Bear-o-Lantern (£16.50), a Mummy Bear (£16.50) and even a Ghostbusters Bear (£19.50).




Large Bears


Jumbo BearImagine being a kid again and receiving a bear that’s double your size? How amazing would that be! Thankfully you can use a number of online discounts to buy a larger bear for a loved one if you so desire. Toys R Us discount codes can get you the Animal Alley 48” Jumbo Brown Bear (£59.99) and using The Entertainer promotional codes you could buy the Jumbo Harry Honey Brown Soft Teddy Bear (£99.99).



Care Bears


Care BearProbably the best known bear brand of recent years, Care Bears are now sought after by our own children as well as those adults seeking out suitably retro toy items. Build-A-Bear promo codes can help you buy one of their own versions of Care Bears including Grumpy Bear (£19), and you can save on a Care Bear Soft Toy with DVD Pack using Toys R Us discount codes (was £19.99, now £17.99).



Just a Teddy Bear


Traditional Teddy BearsOf course, it’s never just a teddy bear, because teddy bears are awesome, but you’ll be pleased to know that if you don’t want a bear with extra bells and whistles on, then there’s still plenty of choice. Using Toys R US discount codes, you can buy the Animal Alley 17” Bear Soft Toy (was £19.99, now £9.99), and with The Entertainer promotional codes, you can purchase a Soft 34cm Teddy Bear for just £3.50 (was £7).

 

So celebrate National Teddy Bear Day by going back to where it all began – with the classic toy bear. Of course, if you want to customise that bear in any which way you want then go for it, but there’s still plenty of classic teddy bears available for too for all you traditionalists out there.

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