• LIFE
  • curiosities

Sort of Cute, Sort of Creepy Teddy Bears and the Grown-Ups Who Love Them

3 minute read

Nobel Peace Prize winner, Medal of Honor recipient, New York City police commissioner, America’s youngest president, Mount Rushmore visage, Dakota cowboy, trust-buster — Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, Jr., packed so much living into his 60 years on earth that the phrase “larger than life” sometimes seems to have been coined expressly for him.

But it’s as the man who inspired a fluffy bedtime toy that Roosevelt left one of his most enduring legacies. On a hunting trip in 1902 (so the story goes) the young president refused to shoot a black bear — a refusal somewhat at odds with the man’s well-earned reputation as a hunter who killed countless birds and beasts, without compunction, for decades. At any rate, a toymaker in New York learned of T.R.’s merciful moment and, inspired, created a toy bear — a “teddy bear.” (Roosevelt, incidentally, always despised the name Teddy.) The bear was an immediate hit, and for the past century has remained one of the tried and true emblems of childhood.

In December 1970, LIFE featured a number of adults who, long years after their childhoods had ended, still retained a fondness for the fluffy companions of their youth. The resulting photos by Nina Leen are somehow sweet and, at the same time, just a little bit unsettling.

Many children have a brief, passionate attachment to a teddy bear and then move on to other toys [LIFE wrote]. But to a faithful fraternity of adults, the bear they had in childhood has become a lifelong companion. These arctophiles (friends of the bear) have clung to their bears through fire and flood, the passage of years, the coming of children and grandchildren. The bears and their owners have endured each other for decades, and though all lead normal active lives, none are too busy to pass the time of day with their oldest friends.

Elderly bears are characterized by those who live with them as “placid,” “serene” and “radiating contentment.” While all teddy bears are steadfast and loyal, the same cannot be said for all their owners. Christopher Robin, whose bear was the inspiration for Winnie-the-Pooh, simply discarded him like an old rocking horse. Pooh, who is now 50, lives far from home in a glass case in an American publishing house.

NOTE: Since 1987, the original, well-worn, beloved Pooh and four of his friends — Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger and Kanga — have resided at The New York Public Library at 42nd and Fifth in Manhattan. Visitors to the library, young and old, can see Pooh and his friends year-round in their grand home.

Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Caption from LIFE. "The two Teddies who started it all."Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Not published in LIFE. Unidentified woman and teddy bears.Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Rosemary Ritchie of Browns Mills, N.J., with a 63-year-old teddy bear.
Not published in LIFE. Rosemary Ritchie of Browns Mills, N.J., with a 63-year-old teddy bear.Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Teddy bear, age 63 (in 1970).
Caption from LIFE. Teddy bear, age 63 (in 1970).Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Theodore Thau, an international trade expert for the Department of Commerce, has had his teddy bear ever since he was six months old.
Caption from LIFE. "Theodore Thau, an international trade expert for the Department of Commerce, has had his teddy bear ever since he was six months old. The bear is less benign than most. 'Sometimes it frightens little girls,' Mr. Thau admits. 'I don't know why, it's never bitten anyone. In fact, it has a very edible nose.'"Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Mary Hadley of West Hartford, Conn., has had Sinnamon for 64 years, although as a child she let her brother play with him.
Caption from LIFE. "Mary Hadley of West Hartford, Conn., has had Sinnamon for 64 years, although as a child she let her brother play with him. Not long ago she rolled over in bed and accidentally detached Sinnamon's nose. 'I burst into tears,' she says. 'I hate to stick him with a needle. He may not feel it, but I do.'"Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Teddy Bear
Caption from LIFE. Sinnamon, age 64 (in 1970).Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
The Rev. Stephen Williamson of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., with teddy bears and sons, 1970.
Not published in LIFE. The Rev. Stephen Williamson of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., with teddy bears and sons, 1970.Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Unidentified woman with "One-Eyed Connolly," the teddy bear.
Caption from LIFE. Unidentified woman with "One-Eyed Connolly," the teddy bear.Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
One-Eyed Connolly, teddy bear, age 30 (in 1970).
Caption from LIFE. One-Eyed Connolly, teddy bear, age 30 (in 1970).Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Emma Rogers' bear, born in 1904, fell into a lake in 1940, and while drying out before the fire, turned green.
Caption from LIFE. "Emma Rogers' bear, born in 1904, fell into a lake in 1940, and while drying out before the fire, turned green. He survived but is sadly patched and wears clothes to hide his scars. 'He knows me, and loves me,' says Mrs. Rogers, a retired railroad law calendar clerk of Queens, N.Y. 'I'll keep Teddy until God calls me, and after that they can do what they want with him.'"Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Unidentified woman with Sam, a teddy bear.
Not published in LIFE. Unidentified woman with Sam, a teddy bear.Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Sam, teddy bear, age 37 (in 1970).
Caption from LIFE. Sam, teddy bear, age 37 (in 1970).Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Unidentified man with his teddy bears, 1970.
Not published in LIFE. Unidentified man with his teddy bears, 1970.Nina Leen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
LIFE magazine, Dec. 11, 1970.
LIFE magazine, Dec. 11, 1970. Best viewed in "Full Screen" mode. See button at right.LIFE Magazine
LIFE magazine, Dec. 11, 1970.
LIFE magazine, Dec. 11, 1970. Best viewed in "Full Screen" mode. See button at right.LIFE Magazine
LIFE magazine, Dec. 11, 1970.
LIFE magazine, Dec. 11, 1970. Best viewed in "Full Screen" mode. See button at right.LIFE Magazine

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com