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From: WDMCU@CUNYVM.BITNET
Newsgroups: net.misc,net.games.trivia
Subject: Re: Maxwell House Slogan
Message-ID: <94WDMCU@CUNYVM>
Date: Fri, 12-Sep-86 16:27:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: CUNYVM.94WDMCU
Posted: Fri Sep 12 16:27:25 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 13-Sep-86 21:24:08 EDT
References: <1250@rayssdb.UUCP> <495@hdsvx1.UUCP> 164@csustan.UUCP
Lines: 33
Xref: mnetor net.misc:2683 net.games.trivia:1095

In article <164@csustan.UUCP>, smdev@csustan.UUCP (Scott Hazen Mueller) says:
     
>Theodore Roosevelt (that's right, the President) way back when.  Old TR was
>always a colorful sort... Once, when he was out hunting, he and his companions
>came across a bear caught in a beartrap.  He refused to kill this bear and the
>story made the newspapers.  Shortly after, a shopkeeper who had a stuffed
>bear for sale put the bear in his window with a sign "Teddy's Bear".  Instant
>hit...
>                          \scott
>--
This one I KNOW as the shopkeeper in question was my great-grandfather.
The story goes like this:
Morris and Rose Michtom (the shopkeepers) saw a political carton by
Berryman (1st name escapes me) of TR refusing to kill a bear while hunting
in Louisianna and Rose stitched together the aforementioned bear. Then Morris
(as legend has it) wrote a letter to Roosevelt asking his permission to use
TR's name. Roosevelt (as legend also has it) wrote back saying he saw no
reason why his name would make any difference to the bear or the public, but,
nonetheless allowed the use of "Teddy's Bear" as noted above. It was enough
of a hit that Morris went on to found the IDEAL Toy Corporation on the strength
of the Teddy Bear.
/*--------------------------------------------------------------------*/
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