The Old Bear Company

Rare Billy Possum c1909

This fabulous rare American Billy Possum dates c1909 and is in totally original condition with small holes to the paw pads. Billy has two tone grey mohair and felt ears with small wear. His original nose/mouth stitching is intact and he even has whiskers! This fabulous little possum is fully jointed with boot button eyes and wood wool filling. He comes with his antique possum campaign badge, has a non-working internal squeaker and measures 12" tall William Howard Taft became the 27th president of the United States of America in 1909, taking over office from President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. After the phenomenal success of Roosevelt's "Teddy" bear, toy companies began looking for another mascot to follow in his footsteps. It was stated that Taft enjoyed eating baked possum and sweet potatoes and so he quickly gained the nickname of "Billy Possum". Many items of memorabilia such as postcards and pinbacks began to appear, some stating "Hello Billy Possum" and "Goodbye Teddy Bear". Established toy makers such as Steiff and Ideal quickly jumped at this new opportunity and produced a soft toy version of Billy Possum, hoping he would take the world by storm, just as the teddy bear had done in previous years. However, the nation's love affair with the teddy bear remained unshakable. Billy Possum simply couldn't compete and was not a great success - a passion for roast marsupial meat could hardly compare to a truly endearing tale of a cute little bear cub Roosevelt had blatantly refused to shoot back in 1903! As such it is extremely rare to find these early soft toys today but it is fascinating how the stories evolved and how Billy Possum is very much a part of teddy bear history! Additional pics SOLD

Note: US Dollar prices are approximate. The purchase price will depend on the exchange rate at the time of the transaction.

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