No one can remember whether this little bear ever had a name. Certainly he was rarely played with. But few bears can have had a more exciting life. For, on a night when more than fifteen hundred people drowned in the icy waters of the North Atlantic, this teddy somehow managed to survive the sinking of the Titanic.

His exact origins are not known for certain, but it is believed that the gold mohair bear—which had a metal frame under its fur— was made in Germany by Gebruder Bing. The company that originally produced household tinware. But later it began to manufacture enameled toys, and it was also one of the first to turn its attention to teddy bears. Since this little bear was made just three or four years after the creation of the very first teddy, he is clearly a very early example.