National Teddy Bear Day blog

by Mitzi Szereto (with some assistance from Teddy Tedaloo)

The Brits are a savvy lot. As a naturalised Brit myself (or should that be “meself”?), I knew I was batting for the right team when I applied for my citizenship. Any country that declares a national day of recognition for teddy bears is a country to which I wish to pledge my undying loyalty!

You see, I know a lot about teddy bears. I happen to have one—a larger-than-life (albeit diminutive in size) furry gent by the name of Teddy Tedaloo. We’ve been together for about fourteen years and he’s kept me going through the proverbial thick and thin. He’s quite a character. In fact, you should see him after a pint or two. We’ve been permanently banned from a pub in Maida Vale, London thanks to a brawl he got into with a monkey!

Teddy is very much loved by his adoring public. He seems to be more popular than I am—so much so that we finally had to sit down and write a book together. I mean, I couldn’t let all of that talent go to waste, could I? I’ve met a lot of bears through him too, since he’s a popular personality on Facebook and Twitter. Last year we went on holiday to Belgium. Do you think anyone I knew in my vast social media circle suggested meeting up? Heck no! But the bears are always socialising and travelling and generally just living it large. So we ended up enjoying a lovely evening out in Brugge with a bear and a lovely afternoon out in Brussels with yet another bear. I tell you, these teds are the way to go. They’ve got humans beat by a mile!

I’m so grateful to have discovered that there’s a whole other world out there besides the rather humdrum one inhabited by us Homo sapiens. Bears have been where it’s at for generations. There’s Winnie the Poo, Paddingdon Bear, Yogi and Boo Boo, and let’s not forget Mr. Bean’s little companion “Teddy”. There’s even Misery Bear and the rather rude “Ted” who stars in a film with that Mark what’s his name bloke—the one who used to grab his crotch before Michael Jackson had ever thought of doing it (Mark, not the bear).

Maybe we should thank former U.S. President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt for putting bears on the map. One day while he was out hunting, his party brought him a bear to shoot. He refused, considering it wrong and unsportsmanlike since the bear had no way to defend itself. The story of the bear’s pardon spread like wildfire, and thanks to a shopkeeper asking the President’s permission to call his stock of stuffed toy bears “teddy bears,” the teddy bear was born. And the rest, as they say, is history!

Mitzi Szereto’s website: http://mitziszereto.com

Normal for Norfolk (The Thelonious T. Bear Chronicles) website: http://mitziszereto.com/normalfornorfolk/

Teddy Tedaloo’s Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/teddytedaloo.fanpage

Mitzi TV: http://mitziszereto.com/tv