Teddy Bear - MAINE
It could be when you think of Maine you think, "Lobster" . . . and no wonder. Almost 90 percent of the America's lobster supply is caught off the coast of Maine by the 4,600 licensed lobstermen – nearly 40 million pounds annually. No surprise, the State Crustacean is the Lobster. Lobster are an average of seven years old before they reach harvestable size. Maine was part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1820 when it voted to secede from Massachusetts to become a separate state. On March 15, 1820, under the Missouri Compromise, it was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state. The Maine State Animal is the moose. Maine is the only eastern state to have a sizeable moose population. Male moose called bulls are well recognized for their prominent antlers. For Maine moose the distance from the outside of one antler to the outside of another averages about fifty-five inches. In contrast, the antlers of Alaskan moose have been measured at eighty inches. The moose's antlers are dropped once a year usually around February. In April the new antlers begin to grow, covered by a velvet that rubs off in early fall. Female moose do not have antlers. In honor of this majestic animal, you might want to visit Scarborough, Maine to get a look at "Lenny" . . . a life-sized, fully chocolate moose . . . not to be confused, of course, with a chocolate mousse. Lighthouses, maritime museums . . . Maine has much to offer visitors to this beautiful state. This design pays homage to our 23rd state. The state outline needles and burgeoning cones of the white pine, the Maine State Tree AND (white pine cone and tassel) State Flower. Additionally, the white pine is considered to be the largest conifer in the northeastern United States. This is layered with the bold, dark, brick red "Maine". A lot of people don't know that Teddy Bears came about as the result of a hunting trip in Mississippi back in 1902. Then President, Theodore Roosevelt, hadn't had much luck hunting bear that day. Some men from his hunting party cornered a bear for him to shoot. He felt this was rather unsportsmanlike and refused to shoot the bear. A couple of days later, a political cartoonist named Clifford Berryman published a cartoon in the Washington Post that poked a little fun at the President's refusal to shoot the bear. A shop owner in Brooklyn saw the cartoon and came up with the idea to make a stuffed bear and dedicate it to the president. He called the stuffed animal, "Teddy's Bear". Later, the shop owner, Morris Michtom, obtained permission from the President to use his name and mass produced the toy bears. This charming bear is an excellent souvenir of that fabulous Maine vacation.
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