What does an ill-fated bear hunt have to do with Jellycat?
When you walk into Ziggy's you'll see some sweet and silly faces, like a Jellycat Amusables Croissant Bag, or the Amuseables Hockey Puck peering out at you from the shelves. Maybe the now-classic, Bartholomew Bear will catch your eye – he comes with different fuzzy outfits, always in dapper, squishable style! But how did we get here?
He shoots, he scores! Jellycat stuffies are always a win - Jellycat London
February 10th is Teddy Day, so let's go back in time, to an incident that is almost legendary...It's November, 1902 and President Theodore Roosevelt, a noted game hunter, is on a bear hunt in Mississippi. As the hunt progresses, he doesn't spot a bear. In a bid to please the President, his assistants corner a black bear for him to shoot - but because it was unsportsmanlike, he couldn't do it. This story becomes big news, with articles and cartoons being written about the President, who didn't want to shoot a bear. A satirical cartoon gave Brooklyn candy store owner Morris Michtom the idea to create a stuffed bear, and name it after Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt.
The cartoon that inspired the original Teddy's Bear - smithsonianmag.com
The timing was perfect, the decline of child labour and changing attitudes towards the notion of childhood created a market for children's toys and accessories. Overcoming the ensuing moral panic that replacing dolls with stuffed animals would result in young girls no longer wanting to grow up and have children (it was a different time!!), what started as “Teddy's Bear” became the popular teddy bears, manufactured in the United States and by German toy company Steiff. By 1906, one Manhattan store sold more than 60,000 bears! The teddy bear was here to stay. And they weren't just for kids! During the tumultuous decades of the early 20th century, teddy bears provided comfort for soldiers, who would tuck them into their knapsacks during both world wars.
And excerpt from the story of Teddy Rogers - pajamapress.ca
Fast forward to 1999, when Jellycat Studios opens in London, almost 100 years after the introduction of the teddy bear! With a focus on unique playful design, safety and high quality materials, Jellycat has expanded their offerings well beyond the bunnies, bears, puppies and kittens of the past to include food, drinks, plants and unusual animals like the octopus and axolotl. It has become a social phenomenon, for all ages! Customers young and old delight in the funny faces that adorn everything from ladybugs to cheese.
Here they come! - Jellycat London
There’s no denying Jellcat is having a moment, and it’s about more than just their adorable designs. In the wake of the 2020 pandemic, we live in a changed world. The phrase, “We're all in this together” took on different meanings - including that in order to save lives, we had to stay home. Our communities shifted to the online world and in many ways stayed there, resulting in a wave of loneliness and disconnect that we are still trying to shake off. What started with Gen Z seeking an escape from the grind of modern adulthood and it's attendant challenges, has spread to people of all ages; in Jellycat folks find ease and simplicity, the nostalgia of childhood is a soft place to land. The Jellycat universe offers comfort, joy and possibility, where the lines of childhood and adulthood are blurred as bears think, “This meeting could have been an email” and growing up doesn’t have to mean leaving fun behind.
Even chores are more fun with Jellycat Bartholomew Bear! - Jellycat London
Like the stuffies that comforted soldiers in the world wars, Jellycats are now getting us through the everyday stresses of modern life. There is so much that feels beyond our reach, and a squishy, fuzzy bear in a heart suit can bring a little levity to these heavy times! Whether we are directly connected or not, we are all on this planet together, we will get through these upheavals together - and many of us will be bringing a Jellycat along for the ride!
Amuseables Val & Tina Love Locks, bringing nothing but love - Jellycat London