# Who was the teddy (lingerie) named after? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 25, 2007, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422 "2007-09-25T14:59:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/1 "2007-09-25T14:59:32Z")
The Teddy Bear (and by extension, Theodore Roosevelt?) Edward VII? (not a hottie, but still more sex attached to his personae than TR: one could imagine the Parisians coming up with a new design in his honor) Empress Theodora? (a better choice, but kind of obscure) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/2 "2007-09-25T15:03:17Z")
It was Theodore Roosevelt. As part of a photo-op, his aides had trapped a lone piece of lingerie up in a tree for him to shoot. But Roosevelt refused, saying that it was sporting to shoot underwear that had been trapped in a tree for him, and his refusal was enshrined in a political cartoon that was widely distributed. Ever since, that kind of lingerie has been called a “Teddy”. What few people realize is that, out of earshot of the reporters, Roosevelt gave his gun to the groundskeeper and confided “Well, I can’t sjhoot it now. You shoot the damned thing.” ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/3 "2007-09-25T15:48:11Z")
That’s an interesting story, but I don’t understand the point of shooting underwear in a tree. Was there some underlying significance that was more relevant at that time? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/4 "2007-09-25T16:06:57Z")
[QUOTE=FatBaldGuy] That’s an interesting story, but I don’t understand the point of shooting underwear in a tree. Was there some underlying significance that was more relevant at that time? [/QUOTE] **whoosh** He’s telling the story of the teddy bear, but substituting in an unmentionable for an ursine. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/5 "2007-09-25T16:11:38Z")
[QUOTE=FatBaldGuy] That’s an interesting story, but I don’t understand the point of shooting underwear in a tree. [/QUOTE] Neither do I, unless there’s somebody inside the underwear you don’t like very much. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/6 "2007-09-25T16:36:12Z")
I thought you only shot elephants in your underwear. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/7 "2007-09-25T16:42:00Z")
[QUOTE=FatBaldGuy] That’s an interesting story, but I don’t understand the point of shooting underwear in a tree. Was there some underlying significance that was more relevant at that time? [/QUOTE] Well, he wasn’t shooting to kill; he had a tranquilizer gun. They’re like cats; much better at climbing up than down. How else would you get the damn thing down, especially if it’s XXL? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/8 "2007-09-25T16:44:29Z")
From [this page](http://www.word-detective.com/020798.html): > [@](#): > > The “teddy” is thought to have been so christened back in the 1920’s because its somewhat shapeless puffiness reminded someone of the general outlines of a teddy bear. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/9 "2007-09-25T16:46:19Z")
[QUOTE=Hypno-Toad] I thought you only shot elephants in your underwear. [/QUOTE] Or pajamas ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/10 "2007-09-25T16:51:23Z")
[QUOTE=Hypno-Toad] I thought you only shot elephants in your underwear. [/QUOTE] And how he got into my underwear, I’ll never…oh Hell, annie. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/11 "2007-09-25T17:58:23Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] **whoosh** He’s telling the story of the teddy bear, but substituting in an unmentionable for an ursine. [/QUOTE] :smack: ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/12 "2007-09-25T18:41:08Z")
[QUOTE=panache45] Well, he wasn’t shooting to kill; he had a tranquilizer gun. They’re like cats; much better at climbing up than down. How else would you get the damn thing down, especially if it’s XXL? [/QUOTE] Stuff it with goose feathers, I guess. I’m not sure why, though. Except in the far north, sexy lingerie items aren’t made with down. Maybe if L.L.Bean merged with Victoria’s Secret, eh? That would be a heckuva catalog. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/13 "2007-09-25T18:50:28Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] Stuff it with goose feathers, I guess. I’m not sure why, though. Except in the far north, sexy lingerie items aren’t made with down. Maybe if L.L.Bean merged with Victoria’s Secret, eh? That would be a heckuva catalog. 😉 [/QUOTE] It might have stuff like this (borderline NSFW, so extra spaces added): [http://www](http://www). nznature. co. nz /mshop:SP:1847950030:tb=5 ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/14 "2007-09-25T19:07:23Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] It was Theodore Roosevelt. As part of a photo-op, his aides had trapped a lone piece of lingerie up in a tree for him to shoot. But Roosevelt refused, saying that it was sporting to shoot underwear that had been trapped in a tree for him, and his refusal was enshrined in a political cartoon that was widely distributed. Ever since, that kind of lingerie has been called a “Teddy”. What few people realize is that, out of earshot of the reporters, Roosevelt gave his gun to the groundskeeper and confided “Well, I can’t sjhoot it now. You shoot the damned thing.” [/QUOTE] 😃 I had the absurd imagine of Bill Clinton and Monica in mind while reading this! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/15 "2007-09-25T19:46:59Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott] Stuff it with goose feathers, I guess. I’m not sure why, though. Except in the far north, sexy lingerie items aren’t made with down. Maybe if L.L.Bean merged with Victoria’s Secret, eh? That would be a heckuva catalog. 😉 [/QUOTE] Get rid of all that frilly stuff and substitute nice soft warm flannel… Yeah, I could get behind that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2007, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/16 "2007-09-26T00:20:41Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Get rid of all that frilly stuff and substitute nice soft warm flannel… Yeah, I could get behind that. 🙂 [/QUOTE] If you want to get behind a bear dressed in flannel, that’s your business. Send us the link for the video, though. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2007, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/17 "2007-09-26T00:33:30Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] It might have stuff like this (borderline NSFW, so extra spaces added): [http://www](http://www). nznature. co. nz /mshop:SP:1847950030:tb=5 [/QUOTE] I thought **twickster** ’s employer was exceptionally prude if gloves and sweaters were considered NSFW, then I got to the bottom of the page. www .nznature.co.nz/mshop:extpage:1847950030:PG=51201,IT=2358#2358 “A real warm fuzzy for downunder, from downunder.” ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2007, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-teddy-lingerie-named-after/420422/18 "2007-09-26T00:43:37Z")
[QUOTE=Bobotheoptimist] I thought **twickster** ’s employer was exceptionally prude if gloves and sweaters were considered NSFW, then I got to the bottom of the page. [/QUOTE] Oops – sorry – usually I check my links before I post, but since I took the spaces out I didn’t. Oh well. Yeah, I was trying to link to the fur pasties and g-string.