One of the most beloved gifts of the last century is the teddy bear. The teddy bear received his name from Theodore Roosevelt from one of his wilderness stories. While the teddy bear is often associated with being a children's gift, adults love them so much that they're often given from one adult another. It's also become very popular to dress up teddy bears in themes, like the cool cowboy bear at the top of the page. Teddy bears are also a very serious collector item. One of the most prized teddy bears collector could wish to add to their collection is a handmade Steiff Teddy Bear. The Steiff Teddy Bear started life in 1902 and by 1907 produced 1 million teddy bears. These famous turn-of-the-century bears are the prize of any collector's teddy bear collections. The most distinctive feature of the Steiff teddy bear is the famous button in the ear.
   A teddy bear of today are usually stuffed with cotton and they are strict laws in America and Europe to make sure teddy bears are full of safe material for kids to hold and even in case they decide to see what's inside their Teddy. Most teddy bears of today have synthetic fur. But there are a few exotic furs like mohair and alpaca fur. Teddy bears arms and legs are generally made to be movable yet not to hold their position. One of the most important features of teddy bear construction is that the eyes do not pop off and can not be put in a child's mouth.
   There are even folk artists that specialize in making teddy bears. These folk artists pairs are made in a wide variety of sizes, themes, and materials.
   One of the most important changes in the teddy bear industry is people ordering personalized bears. Nowadays you can pick out a teddy bear of a certain theme and mix-and-match to bears clothing and accessories. This allows the gift giver to feel like they are presenting a person with the most ideal and loving teddy bear.