Weird History
Jealous of the Teddy Bear, How President Taft Tried to Make Billy Possum Happen
2021 • E20 Feb 14, 2021 11m
Presidents William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt battled it out in the election of 1912, even though Roosevelt had handpicked Taft as his successor just four years earlier. What made the Republicans turn on each other? And did the invention of the teddy bear play a role?
In 1909, just after being elected president, Taft took on his biggest opponent yet: the teddy bear. In a year-long battle, Taft supporters tried to replace the beloved teddy bear with a new stuffed animal, Billy Possum, declaring, "Good-bye, Teddy Bear. Hello, Billy Possum."
In 1909, just after being elected president, Taft took on his biggest opponent yet: the teddy bear. In a year-long battle, Taft supporters tried to replace the beloved teddy bear with a new stuffed animal, Billy Possum, declaring, "Good-bye, Teddy Bear. Hello, Billy Possum."