What does the history of the teddy bear teach us about change?
Most people don’t know this, but the teddy bear was the subject of a national moral crisis in 1907. It had been created just a few years earlier in Germany, and originally when it was sold in America, it was a toy for boys. It was stuffed with chips instead of cotton, so it had a rougher feel to it. But once it made its way into the home, girls started playing with it, and that was very concerning to people of the time. A preacher in Michigan actually delivered a sermon in which he described the teddy bear as a trigger for the downfall of humanity. The reason, as he explained it, was because when girls play with teddy bears, they set aside dolls; and when they play with dolls, they develop a maternal instinct so they can grow up to be mothers — which at the time was one of few options for girls.
This sounds crazy, but it was taken very seriously by many people. The sermon was transcribed and parts of it were run in newspapers around the country, sparking fierce debate. Schools started banning teddy bears and other preachers picked up the cause. Ultimately, it all amounted to nothing, but I think this is
