Morris Michtom

Morris Michtom
Michtom in New York
BornSeptember 12, 1869 (1869-09-12)
Russia
DiedJuly 21, 1938(1938-07-21) (aged 68)
Brooklyn, New York
Occupation(s)Inventor, businessman
SpouseRose
ChildrenEmily (1897–1986) and Joseph (1890–1951)

Morris Michtom (September 12, 1869 – July 21, 1938)[1][2] was a Russian-born businessman and inventor who, with his wife Rose, also a Russian Jewish immigrant who lived in Brooklyn, came up with the idea for the teddy bear in 1902[3] around the same time as Richard Steiff in Germany. They founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company which, after Michtom's death, became the largest doll-making company in the United States.

  1. ^ Stephanie Bernardo Johns (1981). The ethnic almanac. Doubleday. p. 260. ISBN 978-0-385-14143-7. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  2. ^ The Rubber age. Palmerton Pub. Co. 1938. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  3. ^ "Rose and Morris Michtom and the Invention of the Teddy Bear". American Jewish Historical Society. Retrieved March 20, 2011.