Gund Teddy Bears

Since 1898, Gund® has created huggable stuffed toys recognized worldwide for their quality and innovation. They remain the oldest and most successful soft toy manufacturer in the United States. Founded in Norwalk, Connecticut by Adolph Gund, the company was one of the first companies to design and manufacture teddy bears. The Gund® toys tradition has always been to use the best materials and craftsmanship and to promote safety standards for their products, such as securely attached eyes for their plush animals that children could not pull out. Jacob Swedlin, who took over Gund® when Adolph Gund retired in 1925, introduced the concept of industry licensing with Felix the Cat, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Popeye and others.

The “Gotta Getta Gund®” advertising campaign began in the early 1980s, leading to widespread recognition of the company as a leading consumer brand in the toy industry. Today, the New Jersey-based company makes an extensive product line of licensed and unique characters both plus and soft under both the Gund® and BabyGund® brands.

The teddy bear was named for the 26th President of the United States, Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt. On November 14, 1902, Mr. Roosevelt was involved in the settlement of a border dispute between the states of Mississippi and Louisiana. During a rest period in the settlement proceedings, Mr. Roosevelt attended a bear hunt, where he encountered a gravely injured young bear, ordering that it be killed and put out of its misery.

A political cartoon entitled “Drawing the Line in Mississippi” was published in the Washington Post depicting Roosevelt’s order for the mercy killing of the wounded bear. Cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman characterized the bear as a ferocious animal that had just killed a hunting dog in the first version of the cartoon, later revising the bear’s character into that of a cute, cuddly baby bear. The cartoon and the story it told became well-known quickly, and within a year’s time, the bear cub from the second version of the cartoon had inspired a children’s toy called the teddy bear.