The sentimentalization of bears began with “Teddy’s Bear,” that cute and cuddly version of the powerful predator that was first manufactured following President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt’s refusal to shoot a malnourished and frightened she-bear who had been tied to a tree for him to “hunt” at his leisure. It’s a fascinating story, one that I wrote about on June 27, 2010 (“Teddy Bear Country”).

At the end of that post, I wrote, “I now know when the sentimentalization of bears began, but I don’t know why. Do you?”

Exactly four years later, I have my answer, in the form of a TED talk given by Wild Ones author Jon Mooallem: “The strange story of the teddy bear, and what it reveals about our relationship to animals.” Jon Mooallem is a wonderful speaker and his thesis about the sentimentalization of bears is thought provoking.