Smash Boom Presents: Forever Ago and the history of teddy bears

Summary

Smash Boom Best Presents: Forever Ago and the History of Teddy Bears

Podcast: Smash Boom Best (Brains On Universe)
Episode Date: April 2, 2026
Host: Joy Dolo
Guests: Luke (kid cohost, Hanover, MA), Nico Gonzalez Whistler (Forever Ago producer)

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Episode Overview

This lively, playful episode of Forever Ago—shared here on Smash Boom Best—dives into the fascinating history of stuffed animals, focusing on the origins of the beloved teddy bear and its lesser-known flopped rival, Billy Possum. Host Joy Dolo and kid cohost Luke explore when and why teddy bears became cultural icons, the presidential stories behind them, and why some “presidential plushies” just don’t catch on. The episode is filled with fun facts, interactive games, and warm anecdotes about childhood stuffies.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Stuffed Animals Through History

• Stuffed Toy Origins: Stuffed animals have ancient roots; people in ancient Egypt and Rome crafted fabric dolls stuffed with rags or papers.
  • Joy Dolo (05:02): "[People] have been making stuffed toys for thousands of years, long before the teddy bear."
• Rag Dolls’ Popularity:
  • Luke (05:13): "Dolls made from rags, also known as rag dolls."
• Industrial Revolution Impact: The rise of factories made mass toy production possible, resulting in the first widely-available stuffed animals during the late 19th century.

A German Invention: The Steiff Bear

• Margarete Steiff’s Contribution (1880): In Germany, Margarete Steiff created one of the first mass-produced stuffed animals—a small felt elephant originally intended as a pincushion, but quickly appropriated by children as a toy.
  • Joy (06:01): "This first stuffed animal wasn't a toy. It was a felted elephant, originally sold as a pin cushion."
• Richard Steiff’s Big Idea (1902): Margarete’s nephew, Richard, designed a plush bear with movable limbs after being inspired by zoo animals. This became the "Steiff Bear," a precursor to the teddy bear.
  • Joy (07:04): “In 1902, Richard created the Stife bear, a plush stuffed bear with movable limbs.”

The American Twist: Teddy Roosevelt and the Teddy Bear

• Presidential Legend (1902): In Mississippi, President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt famously refused to shoot a captured bear during a hunting trip, deeming it unsportsmanlike.
  • Roosevelt’s Rumored Quote (10:50): "I couldn't be proud of myself if I shot an old, tired, worn out bear that was tied to a tree."
• The incident was immortalized by cartoonists and inspired New York shop owners Rose and Morris Mitchum to produce and name “Teddy’s Bear,” with Roosevelt’s permission.
  • Joy (11:42): "Teddy's Bear was a wild success. So much so that the Mitchums stopped making candy altogether just to become full time toy makers."
• The teddy bear craze blossomed nationwide.

The “Barely” Remembered Billy Possum

• The Rival Rodent: After Roosevelt, President William Howard Taft’s taste for “possum and taters” led to the short-lived creation of the Billy Possum plush.
• Origin Story: Taft’s possum feast in 1909 led to a cartoon and the idea for a new national toy, lovingly promoted by entrepreneurs like Susie Wright Allgood.
  • Nico (14:53): "Because our world is filled with Teddy bear propaganda. Don't even get me started on Care Bears."
  • Nico (15:38): “Taft said it was his lifelong dream to taste it.”
• Merchandising Blitz: Possum pins, parties, books, songs, and even Broadway appearances pushed “Possumania.”
• Epic Fail: The toy never caught on (“gave babies nightmares”), and a warehouse fire plus lawsuits scuttled the company. But Billy lives on in the loving memory of dedicated fans like producer Nico.

“First Things First” Game: Famous Bears

• Joy and Luke play a game to order the debuts of Winnie the Pooh, Paddington Bear, and Kung Fu Panda.
  • Luke guesses: Winnie the Pooh (oldest), Paddington (second), Kung Fu Panda (newest), which is correct.
• Fun Facts Shared:
  • Winnie the Pooh, based on a real bear, first appeared in 1925.
  • Paddington Bear debuted in 1958 and is credited with boosting UK marmalade sales after the 2015 film.
  • Kung Fu Panda premiered in 2008, with animators even training in kung fu for authentic character movement.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Stuffed Animal Affection:
  • Luke (03:22): "I do like stuffed animals. I have a favorite one. He's a tiny…I don't actually know what he is. It's kind of like an elk."
  • Joy (04:01): "I actually grew up with a lot of stuffed animals. Cause I have four sisters and I'm the third one…"
• On Roosevelt & the Bear (10:50):
  Roosevelt's response to shooting the bear, as narrated in the show:
  • "I couldn't be proud of myself if I shot an old, tired, worn out bear that was tied to a tree."
• On Billy Possum’s Failure (17:34):
  • Nico: "Turns out some people don't find stuffed possums very cuddly compared to stuffed bears. One paper even claimed Billy Possum gave babies nightmares."
  • Joy: "Impossumbly bad luck." (17:55)
• Possum Suit Gag (12:22):
  • Luke: "Oh, okay. It has pointy teeth, long snout, and long skinny tail. Kind of looks like a big rat. But, Joy, possums are not that big."
  • Nico: "That's because it's me. Let me take off this headpiece real quick." (12:22)
• Endearing Sign-off:
  • Luke (22:52): "Probably Paddington [is my favorite]."
  • Joy (22:53): "Yeah, yeah. It's the Peru, it's the marmalade, it's all of that. I still have to go with Winnie the Pooh..."

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Timestamps of Important Segments

• [03:08] – Joy and Luke share stories about their favorite stuffed animals.
• [05:02 – 06:24] – The ancient and industrial history of stuffed toys.
• [07:04] – The invention of the original poseable Steiff bear.
• [09:56] – Introduction to the Teddy Roosevelt hunting story.
• [11:13] – The origin of the term “Teddy bear” and rise of the toy.
• [12:04] – Introduction of Billy Possum, with Nico in a possum suit.
• [14:53 – 18:13] – The story of President Taft, possums and the Billy Possum craze.
• [19:24 – 22:52] – “First Things First” game: famous fictional bear timelines and fun facts.

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Overall Tone & Style

The episode is upbeat, packed with humor, puns (“impossumbly bad luck!”), giggles, and good-natured banter. Joy’s warmth and Luke’s curiosity keep things relatable for families and kids, while occasional zany interludes (like the possum-costumed producer) add a playful spark. The style makes learning history fun, leaving listeners with both trivia and smiles.

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Summary Takeaway

“Forever Ago and the History of Teddy Bears” is a delightful, engaging exploration of stuffed animal history—spotlighting the plush personalities that’ve captured and failed to capture American hearts. Through stories about innovation, childhood, and even possum parties, Joy and friends show how the toys we love have surprising, and sometimes hilarious, origins.

Transcript

[Bark Sandin]

Hi, friends. You might have heard that Bark Sandin and I are on the road this spring with Brains On Live. We've been to several cities so far, and it has been so much fun. Our next two stops are Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale. That's at the end of March. And then we just announced that we added Lawrence, Kansas in May and Columbus, Ohio, in June. We're also heading to Chattanooga, Durham, Milwaukee, Portland, Buffalo, and Ann Arbor, Michigan. We hope you'll be able to join us at one of those shows. We can't wait to see you. To get tickets and get more information, you can head to brainson.org events. That's brainson.org events.

[Luke]

Brains on Universe.

[Bark Sandin]

Hi, friends. It's me, Molly. We are busy working on a whole batch of new Smashboom best episodes. We can't wait. Wait for you to hear them. We'll be back in May with those new episodes, but in the meantime, we wanted you to know that forever ago, our history show is back with new episodes right now. So we wanted to share this episode, all about the history of teddy bears and another little fella named Billy Possum, who didn't quite catch on. It's hosted by everyone's favorite debater, Joy Dolo. Enjoy the show,

[Luke]

Joy. I think I finally got Hermy the elephant's trunk just right.

[Joy Dolo]

Luke, you nailed it. That's the most perfect plushie I've ever seen. Most people would think to buy peanuts for their pet elephant's birthday, but Hermey, the elephant who lives in my closet, is no ordinary pet. He deserves something special, like a tiny stuffed version of himself. What do you think of the stuffy I made?

[Luke]

Is that a plushie can opener?

[Joy Dolo]

Yes. I'm naming it Candace.

[Luke]

Who knew a can opener could be so cuddly?

[Joy Dolo]

Me. I did. I knew it, Luke, because I sleep with one every night. How do you think Hermey got so obsessed with them in the first place? My influence is powerful.

[Luke]

Okay, so we've got Candace the can opener, a tiny stuffed elephant version of Hermey. What about a teddy bear?

[Joy Dolo]

Teddy bears are the stuffed animal.

[Luke]

Yeah, why is that? Why not a stuffed bunny or cat or axolotl? And what's with the name Teddy?

[Joy Dolo]

Well, the teddy bear's fame is all thanks to a couple of toymakers and an American president.

[Luke]

Whoa, a president. Sounds like an excellent podcast topic.

[Joy Dolo]

Ooh, that just inspired another plushie idea.

[Luke]

Let me guess. A stuffed microphone?

[Joy Dolo]

I was thinking of a plushie microphone stand.

[Luke]

Always thinking outside the box.

[Joy Dolo]

Well, you know, they don't Call me Joy. Outside of the box Thinker Dolo for nothing. You're listening to Forever Ago from brains on Universe. I'm your host, Joy Dolo, and I'm here today with Luke from Hanover, Massachusetts.

[Luke]

Hi, Joy.

[Joy Dolo]

Hello. Today we're talking all about the history of stuffies, which are fluffy stuffed animals and one of the most popular plushies, the teddy bear. Luke, I want to know, do you like stuffed animals?

[Luke]

I do like stuffed animals. I have a favorite one. He's a tiny. I don't actually know what he is. It's kind of like an elk.

[Joy Dolo]

Ooh.

[Luke]

And his name is Ted.

[Joy Dolo]

What does it look like?

[Luke]

It's like half a foot tall. It has a big head. It has horns.

[Joy Dolo]

Oh, wow. Have you ever had a teddy bear before?

[Luke]

Um, yeah. I have a teddy bear now. I go to build a bear sometimes, and the last time I went, I made a Harry Potter bear that when you clicked its paw, it said expecto patronum. So.

[Joy Dolo]

Oh, wow, that's so neat.

[Luke]

What about you, Joy? Did you have a favorite stuffed animal?

[Joy Dolo]

I actually grew up with a lot of stuffed animals. Cause I have four sisters and I'm the third one. So, like, whenever my oldest sister was done with her toys, I would get them. So I always had bears and things coming down. But the one that I rem remember the most wasn't a stuffed animal. It was my little pony. Do you have you seen that show that. My little pony? It's like a little pink pony with a horn with a unicorn. It must be from a long time ago, but. But they were not fluffy. They were hard and they were plastic, but their hair was really silky. So I used to love to just like, brush their hair and braid it. And I used to sleep with mine all the time.

[Luke]

Joy, you said the teddy bear started with tour makers and an American president.

[Joy Dolo]

It's true. But hold your horses.

[Luke]

I'm already holding my horses. This stuffed horse I made for hermey.

[Sound Effects / Narration]

So soft.

[Joy Dolo]

People have been making stuffed toys for thousands of years, long before the teddy bear. Folks in ancient Egypt and Rome made fabric dolls stuffed with paper and rags.

[Luke]

Dolls made from rags, also known as rag dolls.

[Joy Dolo]

And these rag dolls were popular across different cultures for centuries. But stuffed animal toys, at least how we know them, didn't become popular until the Industrial revolution.

[Luke]

Industrial revolution.

[Joy Dolo]

The Industrial revolution was a period in history during the 1800s, when people started making all sorts of different stuff in factories instead of by hand.

[Luke]

People could use mach more things more

[Joy Dolo]

quickly, including stuffed animals. One of the first mass produced stuffed Animals was made by a German seamstress named Margarita Steiff in 1880.

[Luke]

That's around the same time as lots of other stuff was invented, like the telephone or light bulb.

[Joy Dolo]

Right, and this first stuffed animal wasn't a toy. It was a felted elephant, originally sold as a pin cushion for sewers to stick their pins and needles in.

[Sound Effects / Narration]

Aw.

[Luke]

A stuffed elephant. Just like the Herme plushie I made.

[Joy Dolo]

Exactly. And just like your stuffed Herme, the pin cushion was so cute that lots of kids started using it as a toy.

[Luke]

Okay, so how do we get from a stuffed elephant pincushion to a teddy bear?

[Joy Dolo]

Well, there's two stories. So one starts a few years later with Margarita's nephew Richard, who started working at his aunt's toy factory. Richard wasn't a seamstress like his aunt. I'm an artiste. Richard loved to Dr. Often visited the zoo to sketch animals. That's where inspiration struck. That brown bear is so cute. Oh, it would make the perfect toy. So in 1902, Richard created the Stife bear, a plush stuffed bear with movable limbs.

[Luke]

Opposable stuffed bear. That's unbearably cute. But why did we start calling them teddy bears?

[Joy Dolo]

That has to do with our 26th President of the United States. But before we dive any deeper, I can't bear it any longer. It's time to play first things first. This is the game where we take three things from history and try to put them in order of which came first, second, and most recent in time. Today's three things are three famous bears. We've got Winnie the Pooh and Kung Fu Panda and Paddington Bear. So look, do you know these three bears?

[Luke]

Yeah, I've heard of them all. Yeah.

[Joy Dolo]

Yeah. So which do you think came first, which came second, and which came most recently in history?

[Luke]

Because I've, like, watched the Kung Fu Panda, like, movies. I think that's most recent. Like. Oh, yeah, and then Paddington in the middle. Because, like, I just feel like Winnie the Pooh is kind of old. So, like, Winnie the Pooh is from, like, the 1940s maybe.

[Joy Dolo]

Oh, yeah, that makes sense.

[Luke]

Yeah. So I think the order is Winnie the Pooh oldest, Paddington Bear second, and Kung Fu Panda third.

[Joy Dolo]

All right, well, we'll hear the answers at the end of the episode right after the credits, so stick around. Hey, we're doing an episode soon all about slang words. You know, words like Riz, Slay, Flex, all the slang. Did you know you can just make up your own, too. Like Beastie. That's a beast. Who's also your best friend. Beastie. Yeah, you know I'm talking about you, Hermie, my Beastie. We want to hear your slang words too. Make up a word and tell us what it means, then send it to [e-mail] contact bonus points if you use it in a sentence. Oh, I can't wait to hear what you cook up. Beasties. You're listening to forever ago. I'm Joy.

[Luke]

And I'm Luke.

[Joy Dolo]

And today we're talking about the history of stuffed animals, especially one of the

[Luke]

most iconic stuffed animals, the teddy bear.

[Joy Dolo]

Before the break, we learned people have been making stuffed toys for centuries.

[Luke]

But stuffed bears didn't become popular until after the industrial revolution. Industrial revolution.

[Joy Dolo]

Some people say stuffed bears started with German toy makers. Others point to the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt.

[Luke]

I've heard of that president. He loved being outside, right?

[Joy Dolo]

Yeah. Roosevelt loved the great outdoors, adventure and hunting, which was a very popular sport back in the early 1900s. And a hunting trip is where our next story starts. It was 1902, the same year the stife German toymakers made their poseable stuffed bear. Meanwhile, the President Roosevelt was in Mississippi hunting for bears. There was just one problem.

[Narrator / Additional Voice]

There are no bears.

[Joy Dolo]

Roosevelt couldn't find any bears to hunt. Panicked, his assistants found an old black bear and tied it up to a tree for Roosevelt to shoot. Mr. President, we found a bear for you. But Roosevelt didn't like the idea of shooting this poor old bear. It didn't fly. Feel very sportsmanlike. He was rumored to have said, I

[Narrator / Additional Voice]

couldn't be proud of myself if I shot an old, tired, worn out bear that was tied to a tree.

[Luke]

Saving an animal like that sounds like the bare minimum to me.

[Joy Dolo]

Totally. But this story was quite a hoot at the time. News spread fast about Roosevelt and the bear. A cartoonist even drew up the scene for the newspaper showing Roosevelt refusing to show Shoot the cuddly bear.

[Luke]

See, it's a very fluffy looking bear

[Joy Dolo]

with Mickey Mouse shaped ears, a certifiable cutie patootie. This cartoon inspired New York candy shop owners Rose and Morris Mitchum to make and sell a stuffed bear of their own. They called it Teddy's Bear, named after President Teddy Roosevelt. They even got the President's permission to use his name.

[Narrator / Additional Voice]

Teddy's Bear, you say? It does have a nice ring to it.

[Joy Dolo]

Teddy's Bear was a wild success. So much so that the Mitchums stopped making candy altogether just to become full time toy makers.

[Luke]

So Teddy bears got their name from President Theodore Teddy Ro.

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

Why is it always teddy bear and never Billy Possum, huh?

[Joy Dolo]

A giant possum just walked into the studio.

[Luke]

Oh, okay. It has pointy teeth, long snout, and long skinny tail. Kind of looks like a big rat. But, Joy, possums are not that big.

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

That's because it's me. Let me take off this headpiece real quick.

[Joy Dolo]

It's forever ago producer and professional yapper Nico Gonzalez Whistler.

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

Don't forget president of the Billy Possum Fan club.

[Luke]

Hi, Nico. I guess that explains why you're in that possum suit.

[Joy Dolo]

That explains nothing. I've seen Nico wear that to the grocery store.

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

No, I wear my raccoon suit when I go grocery shopping. It's a totally different tale.

[Joy Dolo]

Oh, yeah, and way fewer teeth. My mistake. So you're the president of a possum fan club, huh?

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

Not just any possum. Billy Possum.

[Luke]

Who is Billy Possum?

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

Only the greatest stuffed animal inspired by an American president ever.

[Luke]

Another presidential plushie. I gotta hear more about this.

[Joy Dolo]

And we will right after the break. We love getting fan art from our listeners. We love fan art like Nico loves Billy Possum. Since this is an audio only podcast, I can't exactly show them to you, so I'm going to describe one of these wonderful drawings. Okay, so I am there with the beautiful sunshine and a beautiful purple top and some jeans. And my best friend Hermie is next to me with these lovely round ears and a giant trunk and a little bubble that says hi, which is classic Hermie. It's a wonderful drawing. Thank you so much. So if you want to send us a drawing of a teddy bear and Billy Possum line dancing or a sonnet to your favorite stuffy, please send us mail. You can visit brainzon.org contact to reach out.

[Luke]

Thanks.

[Joy Dolo]

Want forever ago without the ads. Join Smarty Pass. You get an ad free feed of all the brains on Universe shows, plus bonus content and more. Sign [e-mail] Thanks.

[Luke]

I'm Luke.

[Joy Dolo]

I'm Joy.

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

And I'm Nico, President of the Billy Possum Fan club. AKA the best presidential stuffed animal ever invented.

[Joy Dolo]

Why am I just learning about Billy Possum now?

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

Because our world is filled with Teddy bear propaganda. Don't even get me started on Care Bears. It all started with the next president after Teddy Roosevelt, President William Howard taft. It was January 1909, a couple of months before President Taft was officially inaugurated. He was invited to an honorary dinner in Atlanta, Georgia, where the president elect requested a dish he was excited to Try. For the first time, Possums and taters. AKA roasted possum and sweet potatoes.

[Luke]

Wait, people used to eat possum?

[Joy Dolo]

Yep. It was considered a southern delicacy back then.

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

Taft said it was his lifelong dream to taste it.

[Luke]

Wow. So this dude really wanted to eat possum.

[Joy Dolo]

Yeah.

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

It was a big spectacle. News of the dinner spread far and wide, once again inspiring a cartoonist to draw a picture of Taft holding up a possum.

[Joy Dolo]

See, Let me take a little looksies. The cartoon reads, if Teddy bear, why not Billy Possum? It even calls Billy Possum the new national toy.

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

That very cartoonist presented Taft with a tiny stuffed possum pin at his Possums and Taters dinner. It was sort of a joke, but it inspired a woman named Susie Wright Allgood to go all in on Possumania. Susie started mass producing Billy Possum stuffed animals in hopes of replacing Roosevelt's teddy bear.

[Sound Effects / Narration]

Possumania Susie or scroll Possum. Possum posses.

[Bark Sandin]

Oh, yeah.

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

She handed out possum pins to Georgia delegates for Taft's inauguration.

[Sound Effects / Narration]

Possumania Possum pins for politicians.

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

She staged events with real possums, including possum parties and an appearance on Broadway.

[Sound Effects / Narration]

Possum Mania. Razzle dazzle. Public possum stunts.

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

There were Billy Possum songs, books and postcards.

[Sound Effects / Narration]

Possum Mania. Awesome possum merchandise,

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

and Billy Possum toys of all sizes.

[Sound Effects / Narration]

Life size medium, 4 inches long.

[Luke]

Life size medium.

[Sound Effects / Narration]

Possum.

[Luke]

It sounds like Suzy was all in on Billy Possum. Were they as popular as teddy bears?

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

Well, no. Turns out some people don't find stuffed possums very cuddly compared to stuffed bears. One paper even claimed Billy Possum gave babies nightmares.

[Luke]

Oof. That's a tough review.

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

It also didn't help that their company got hit with a lawsuit over contracts and a warehouse fire.

[Joy Dolo]

Impossumbly bad luck.

[Nico Gonzalez Whistler]

Billy Possum Mania ended as quickly as it started. But he lives in my heart forever. And I live inside his head in this possum suit. As president of the Billy Possum fan club, I'm determined to revive his chaotic legacy.

[Luke]

I'm down for the cause. Can I join?

[Joy Dolo]

Me too. I can even sew up some Billy Possum plushies for all of us right now. I bet Hermey would like one, too. Possumania. People have been making soft stuffed toys for thousands of years.

[Luke]

Some people think the first stuffed bear started with German toy makers after the Industrial Revolution.

[Joy Dolo]

Others think it was created by New Yorkers who were inspired by American President Theodore Teddy Roosevelt.

[Luke]

William Taft. The president, after Roosevelt also got his own stuffed animal, Billy Possum.

[Joy Dolo]

This episode was written by Ruby Guthrie. It was produced and fact checked by Nico Gonzalez Whistler and edited by Sandon Totten. Engineering help from Rob Bossi with sound design by Rachel Breese. Original theme music by Mark Sanchez. Special thanks to Jason Scott and if

[Luke]

you want access to ad free episodes and special bonus content, subscribe to our Smartypass.

[Joy Dolo]

Okay, Luke, are you ready to hear the answers for first things first?

[Luke]

No.

[Joy Dolo]

Come on, it's gonna be super fun.

[Luke]

Yay.

[Joy Dolo]

Okay, so as a reminder, we're putting these three famous bears in order from oldest to most recent. And yours were Winnie the Pooh, Paddington Bear, and then Kung Fu Panda. Is that your final answer? Yes. All right. Da da da da da da. Oh, wow. Oh, no.

[Sound Effects / Narration]

Oh,

[Joy Dolo]

you were right.

[Luke]

Yay.

[Joy Dolo]

Luke is the smartest kid I know. So Winnie the Pooh, you were right, was the oldest and that was created in 1925. It first appeared as a children's story published in a London newspaper for Christmas Eve. And it was written by author A. A. Milne and illustrated by E H Shepard.

[Luke]

I've never heard of either of those people.

[Joy Dolo]

Me neither. You know, Winnie the Pooh is actually based off of a real bear named Winn who was at the London Zoo. Oh, that's neat. Milne and his son Christopher Robin would go to the zoo often and even bought a stuffed bear, which inspired the lovable, honey loving, no pants wearing character.

[Luke]

Did they buy one of the teddy's bears from the toy makers?

[Joy Dolo]

Oh, maybe. I'm not sure. But I am familiar with the name Christopher Robin because that was on the show. The Pooh Bear. Winnie the Pooh Bear. It was. Christopher Robin was his best friend. Next up, again, you were right. It was Paddington Bear. And that was 1958 that he appeared for the first time in a book called A Bear Called Paddington by British author Michael Bond. So the story follows a lost bear from Peru who finds himself in London, complete with a big hat, raincoat and suitcase. And the book sold over 35 million copies around the world and translated into over 40 languages and have inspired so several hit animated movies. Have you seen any of the Paddington Bear movies?

[Luke]

I've seen the most recent one on a field trip last year with my class. Oh, we saw Paddington in Peru.

[Joy Dolo]

Oh, was it good?

[Luke]

It was really good.

[Joy Dolo]

Oh, great.

[Luke]

It's when he made it back to Peru.

[Joy Dolo]

Oh, that's cool. It's nice. He had a full circle. So Paddington's favorite food is a marmalade

[Luke]

sandwich, because marmalades grow in Peru, where he's from.

[Joy Dolo]

M. Have you ever had marmalade jelly before?

[Luke]

Yeah, my dad always has marmalade jam at. At our house, so.

[Joy Dolo]

Yeah, I like it too. I like it with. On toast.

[Luke]

I put it on rice cakes, but yeah.

[Joy Dolo]

Oh, yum. That's good too. So marmalade is a type of jam made from citrus, like oranges. After the first Paddington's film release in 2015, the UK saw spikes in marmalade sales across the country. Possibly inspired by Paddington himself. Maybe. And last, but certainly not least, is Kung Fu Panda from 2008. So the Kung Fu Panda is the smash animated movie that came out in 2008, and it features Po, a lovable panda who dreams of becoming a kung fu master and is voiced by Jack Black, who's like one of the funniest folks. The Kung Fu Pandas filmmaker spent years researching Chinese art and kung fu movies. The movie's animators even took kung fu classes to get a better understanding of the characters movements. Whoa. I didn't know they did so much work on that.

[Luke]

I know.

[Joy Dolo]

Yeah. So out of these three bears, which one is your favorite?

[Luke]

Probably Paddington.

[Joy Dolo]

Yeah, yeah. It's the Peru, it's the marmalade, it's all of that. I still have to go with Winnie the Pooh, because Pooh Bear. Winnie the Pooh Bear. Looking for fun? Join us next week for an episode all about the history of diamond engagement rings.

[Luke]

Thanks for listening.