Who has not heard of The Teddy Bears’ Picnic? According to our good friend Wiki, ‘"The Teddy Bears' Picnic" is a song consisting of a melody by American composer John Walter Bratton, written in 1907, and lyrics added by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy in 1932.’
‘Although it has a frivolous sounding title, this song is actually quite a sophisticated piece of classical music written in 6/8 time’ says Songfacts. The 1932 Henry Hall recording was of especially good quality with a large tonal range. It was used for more than 30 years by BBC audio engineers (up until 1960s) to test and calibrate the frequency response of audio equipment.
The song was originally called Teddy Bear Two-Step.
If you want to find out more about this whole teddy bear craze, you can read about it in Michele Brown’s book Little History of the Teddy Bear.
In 1834 Robert Southey wrote Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
In 1894 a German toy company came up with a stuffed bear.
In 1899 Margaret Steiff registered patents for 23 of her soft toy designs including a dancing bear.
In Nov 1902 Morris Michtom sold the first teddy bear in his Brooklyn shop.
The first advertisement for the ‘teddy bear’ appeared in 1906.
The first book called Teddy Bear was published in 1907. That same year, The Roosevelt Bears newspaper strip was published in book form.
President Theodore Roosevelt (who was known by his childhood name of "Teedie") lies at the heart of the teddy bear craze.
And Whoovians, did you know that the song can be briefly heard in the 1968 Doctor Who episode The Invasion.
For a walk down memory lane, you can listen to the Henry Hall’s 1932 version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZANKFxrcKU
This cache is literally a park and grab. The car park is to the rear of the church and there’s even a small playground that you could bring your little teddies to have a play in. It is on church property but don’t let that worry you because the minister was fully involved in the placement of this cache.
And if you’ve got time for a good story, ask Vicki about how she came to be where she is today. You might be in for a surprise. Unlike having to sneak up on a teddy bears’ picnic where you have to go in disguise, today, you can go as you are. Do be mindful of the other users of the space though throughout the week. You might need to activate stealth mode at times, or if that is impossible, try a more opportune time – this cache is in a quiet section of the yard so there is a fair bit of privacy for your search.
There’s no need to trample on any plants, so use your Sherlock skills and eyes before your feet. BYO pen.
‘If you go down in the woods today
You're sure of a big surprise
If you go down in the woods today
You'd better go in disguise!
For every bear that ever there was
Will gather there for certain
Because today's the day the
Teddy Bears have their picnic …’
References
Teddy Bears’ Picnic, Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teddy_Bears%27_Picnic
The Teddy Bears Picnic, Songfacts. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=14553