• curiosityLynx@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Teddy Roosevelt opted not to shoot a bear that someone caught for him to shoot (because it would have been like shooting fish in a barrel; iirc the bear was immobilised). The press at the time got hold of this story, turned it into a story about pity/mercy (neither applied, the bear was killed anyway, just not by getting shot by Roosevelt) and an enterprising individual made a toy based on it, which became more popular than expected.

    The popularity of the toy was also a boost to Roosevelt’s popularity, which is why at least one presidential candidate at the time tried to get something similar going for himself, but possums just aren’t cuddly and a copy of a popular thing rarely manages to reach the heights of popularity the thing it tries to copy got.

    • Knusper@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      Huh, thanks. I didn’t think there to be an actual answer. I figured, it was just a shape that’s easy to manufacture and good for cuddling…