The Vermont Teddy Bear Factory is located 1 mile South of the Village of Shelburne - just keep your eyes open for The Vermont Teddy Bear Company sign on your left.

In 1981, inspired by the desire to make his son a friend that would last a lifetime, our founder, John Sortino, crafted his first-ever Teddy Bear, Bearcho. His son enjoyed his new friend so much that John began selling these Bears from a cart on Church Street in downtown Burlington, Vermont.

The majority of teddy bears are manufactured in countries with low production costs, such as China and Indonesia. A few small, single-person producers in the United States make unique, non-mass-produced teddy bears.

The bear parts head back to the assembly. Area where workers installed wooden hinges that let the Bears arms. And legs rotate. They use a custom-built machine to attach the joints to the Bears.

The Vermont Teddy Bear Difference We believe that the friendship, hugs, and love of a plush toy should last forever. That's why all of our Stuffed Animals come with a lifetime guarantee. In 1981, we began handcrafting Bears. Today, we've produced over 6.6M love-filled Teddies and Stuffed Animals.

One of the reasons Vermont Teddy Bears are so special is that every Bear is well loved, #BeyondTheLastStich. From our highly-skilled Stichers to our Bear Ambassadors in the Bear shop to our Marketing team - everyone here knows that a Bear is so much more than a Bear, it's a way to say "I Love You."

History of teddy bears The teddy bear was officially invented in 1902, when Theodore Roosevelt refused to kill a bear cub while on a hunting trip. News reporters throughout the country highlighted the story of Roosevelt's kind act, spreading quickly through newspaper articles across the country.

Berryman's cartoon appeared in the Washington Post on November 16, 1902. Morris Michtom, a Brooklyn candy shop owner, saw the cartoon and had an idea. He and his wife Rose also made stuffed animals, and Michtom decided to create a stuffed toy bear and dedicate it to the president who refused to shoot a bear.

A teddy bear provides an external source of comfort and a sense of stability for the child in the same way their parents do. When a baby feels stressed and needs to be soothed, parents can provide the teddy bear as a comforting object.

Richard Steiff the father of the Teddy bear In 1902 Richard Steiff, Margarete's nephew, designed a toy bear made of mohair called Bear 55PB. Inspired by American President Theodore Roosevelt, the initially nameless bear received its name Teddy, which is still known today.

The Vermont Teddy Bear Difference We believe that the friendship, hugs, and love of a plush toy should last forever. That's why all of our Stuffed Animals come with a lifetime guarantee. In 1981, we began handcrafting Bears. Today, we've produced over 6.6M love-filled Teddies and Stuffed Animals.

The teddy bear is named after U.S. President Theodore “Teddy" Roosevelt. In 1902, President Roosevelt participated in a bear-hunting trip in Mississippi. While hunting, Roosevelt declared the behavior of the other hunters “unsportsmanlike" after he refused to kill a bear they had captured.