The teddy bear, that adorable 20th century superstar and everybody's favourite childhood soft toy, has an enviable pedigree. Inspired into existence more than a hundred years ago by no less than a former President of the USA in America, and almost simultaneously in Germany, teddy bears went on to catch the public imagination as no other stuffed toy has ever done thus far. It was cuddly, endearing and reassuring. Little wonder than nearly everyone, from distinguished statesmen into the child in the neighbourhood clamoured for you personally.

Teddy bears are, without doubt, everybody's favourite stuffed animal.

Here are a Few of the all-time favorites:

1.

Winnie the Pooh is arguably one of the most famous bears . His arrival has an intriguing story...

During a regular halt of a train transporting troops out of Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) to eastern Canada during the WWI, at White River, Ontario, a young lieutenant Harry Colebourn bought a small female black bear cub in the man who'd only shot its mother.

In December 1919, Colebourn presented the London Zoo with Winnie where it quickly became a massive attraction. The London Zoo became Winnie's house till she died in 1934.

Christopher Robin, son of author A.A. Milne, used to appreciate this small, black bear and had nicknamed his own stuffed bear'Winnie'. It had been his son's fascination for this particular bear that prompted Milne to compose a complete set of novels about Winnie the Pooh. Incidentally, the title of Pooh originally belonged to a swan. 'Winnie-the-Pooh' was published by Methuen on October 14th, 1926.

Today, children's toy stores are dominated by Pooh paraphernalia. There are Winnie-the-Pooh bears, clothing, bedding, animated cartoons, and even web sites.

2. Paddington Bear

A classic among children's literature, Paddington Bear has been charming children of all ages since it was first created with a British author, Michael Bond, in 1958.

adorable teddy bear names depended upon a teddy bear sitting slightly forlornly onto a shelf in a store near Paddington Station in London in 1956. Something about this solitary monster caught Bond's imagination and he soon penned the first book called'A Bear Called Paddington'. This adorable little bear is really an immigrant who hailed from Darkest Peru. He hid himself on the lifeboat of a ship and arrived in England, according to his Aunt Lucy who had reared him .