The Michton And Steiff Legacy In Gift Giving
Among the favorite all-occasion gifts nowadays are teddy bears and flowers. At a baby christening, a cuddly stuffed toy is given. Sterling roses are perfect for a wedding anniversary. A stuffed teddy bear plus a bouquet of flowers commemorate a birthday. A sweetheart will enjoy cuddling with a life-sized stuffed Koala while holding her box of pink roses. A teddy bear for him and her, with a pot of chrysanthemums make a perfect housewarming gift.
Gifting with bears and flowers don’t even call for extraordinary occasions. Expressions of love, gratitude, surprise, even condolences and get-well-soon wishes are made through gifts of bears and flowers. Gift giving is said to retrace its beginnings to the birth of the human race. Bartering set off the custom of gift giving, say historical accounts. Bequeathing landed estates as a form of inheritance also counted as gift-giving. Among the upper crust society, gifts were a mark of gratitude, renewed friendships or earned favors.
Gifts also hold concealed meanings. The Ancient Romans gave coins to mean prosperity, lamps for enlightenment during one’s journey through life, and pastries for happiness. Gifts of myrrh, frankincense and gold were presented by the Three Wise Men to the Baby Jesus. Among the Persians, eggs symbolized fertility. The significance of flowers as a present also includes expressions of love, sincerity, strength of character, etc. etc. Standing for nurture and care are teddy bears. They also evoke feelings of warmth.
Giving flowers is a custom that has an early history. Floral fossils have been found in ancient grave sites. Accounts of giving flowers are also common in Egyptian hieroglyphics, very old Chinese writings and even ancient Greek and Roman mythology. Giving flowers was regarded by early cultures as an effective way of putting across views, ideas and emotions. Flowers were regarded by the Ancient Greeks as affiliated with the divine. Giving flowers as gifts was sustained throughout the Middle Ages. Keeping the practice of giving flowers as gifts alive were the French and the English.
Meanwhile, the teddy bear was inspired by a hunting incident that concerned former United States President Theodore Roosevelt. In 1902, Mississippi Governor Andrew H. Longino invited President Roosevelt to go hunting. President Roosevelt was asked by his attendants to blast a black bear that they had tied to a willow tree. However, the President declined, believing it was very unsportsmanlike. But he ordered the bear shot so that it would be liberated of its misery. A political cartoon was made out of this incident.
This political sketch then inspired Morris Michton to make a new toy. A stuffed bear cub was what this new plaything was. He named his creation Teddy’s bear, after the nickname of President Roosevelt. Mr Michton even obtained permission to utilise the President’s name, after sending him a prototype. In Germany, a stuffed bear was also produced from the blueprints of Richard Steiff. The 1903 edition of the Leipzig Toy Fair, held in March, featured these toys. Come 1906, the teddy bear rage became full-fledged. What followed, as most people would say, is history.
