All Podcasts / 99% Invisible / 100 Objects #8: Billy Possum
99% Invisible
99% Invisible

100 Objects #8: Billy Possum

July 10, 2026 • 36m

Summary

⏱️ 9 min read

Overview

This episode explores America's complicated relationship with wildlife through the stories of two presidential mascots: the successful teddy bear named after Theodore Roosevelt and the failed Billy Possum created for William Howard Taft. The episode traces how our treatment of animals—from extermination to empathy—reflects broader environmental attitudes, culminating in the modern use of the polar bear as a symbol for climate change activism.

The Birth of the Teddy Bear

In November 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a wounded bear during a hunting trip in Mississippi, a moment that was immortalized in a political cartoon. A toy manufacturer transformed the cartoon's cute bear into a stuffed animal called "Teddy's Bear," which became a massive commercial success. This marked a cultural shift in how Americans viewed bears—from fearsome monsters to creatures worthy of protection and affection.

  • Roosevelt refused to shoot a dazed, malnourished bear during a hunt, considering it unsportsmanlike
  • A Washington D.C. cartoon memorialized the moment, depicting the bear as vulnerable and cute with huge eyes
  • The teddy bear became a huge commercial hit, with one German company exporting a million bears a year
  • The success sparked fears that teddy bears were displacing human dolls in children's play
" It's against my code as a sportsman to shoot this pathetic thing. "

America's War on Wildlife

In the early 1900s, the United States government actively worked to eradicate bears, wolves, and other large predators viewed as threats to western settlement. The Bureau for Biological Survey's primary job was killing animals deemed undesirable. Popular fiction of the era, like a story about a boy who owned enough ammunition "to kill every creature within five miles," reflected this hostile attitude toward nature.

  • Bears were seen as monsters and a threat to America's ability to take over the western frontier
  • The federal government's Bureau for Biological Survey focused on shooting, trapping, and killing animals
  • Grizzly bears were driven out of 95% of their original range in the continental U.S.
  • Popular children's fiction celebrated killing wildlife, with stories featuring revenge killings of bears
" We had sorted nature into sort of the desirable and undesirable ones, and we were letting all the undesirable ones really have it. "

📚 8 more sections below

Sign up to unlock the complete summary with all insights, key points, and quotes

Listen on Apple Podcasts More Episodes from 99% Invisible