America's Most Popular Toys

Americans are serious about their toys. The more popular the toy, the more passion, anger, and general strangeness it's capable of generating. Here's a look at the most intriguing and outrageous stories behind America's favorite playthings.

By Paul Krantz

Blaine Moats

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Bear Attack

Toy crazes are nothing new. More than 100 years ago, the Teddy bear electrified the nation. The story goes that Teddy Roosevelt refused to shoot a black bear cub captured during a 1902 hunting trip. Soon after, inspired by political cartoons depicting the Hunter-in-Chief's mercy, Brooklyn businessman Morris Michtom created a stuffed rendition of "Teddy's Bear" and put it on sale. By 1906, Teddy bears were all the rage. In 1907, the critter's popularity led a group of bear-stuffers at the Bruin Manufacturing Co. in New York to demand higher wages. Unfortunately, according to The New York Times, their work stoppage was short-lived due to the fact they had neglected to form a "Teddy Bear Stuffers Union" before going on strike.

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