Things can be quite interesting when you stop and take a look.
Like Presidents William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt. Those two battled it out in the election of 1912, even though Roosevelt had handpicked Taft as his successor just four years earlier.
I’ll tell you this quirky thing. When you look at the “ratings” charts for presidents, on most of them, you will find Teddy Roosevelt rated around #5 and William Howard Taft trailing behind him at the midway point, around #21. But so close in other ways. Roosevelt was our 26th president, and Taft was 27th.
But once Taft was elected in 1909, his biggest opponent was not necessarily the persona of Teddy Roosevelt. Instead, it was the teddy bear. In the year-long battle leading up until election day, Taft supporters tried to replace the beloved Teddy Roosevelt “teddy bear” with a new stuffed animal. And what was their choice?
Billy Possum.
Yes indeed. Their slogan line was “Good-bye, Teddy Bear. Hello, Billy Possum.”
Now, to me, this is a great mascot. I love the Opossum. I’ve written about them before. But to remind you — even though we Americans use the terms interchangeably — Opossums live in the Americas. Possums are from Australia.
Regardless, the Taft Team called Billy a possum. And that stuffed marsupial was praised in poems, promoted on postcards, and even shown eating a teddy bear.
But why a possum? Well, Teddy Roosevelt’s people came up with quite the inspirational story behind the first teddy bear. (A hunting trip where President Teddy saved a bear.) But that was not the case for Taft. His supporters picked the possum for a simple reason: Taft liked eating possums. I mean, it was a big thing, apparently. The president became so closely linked with possums that supporters mailed live possums to the White House.
So why aren’t our kids sleeping with Billy Possums like they do with Teddy Bears? Why isn’t there a “Build-A-Possum” store in all the malls, just like “Build-A-Bear”? Why didn’t Billy Possum catch on like the teddy bear?
The answer might be political. Roosevelt is consistently remembered as one of the best presidents, while Taft is perhaps one of the most forgotten. He wasn’t bad. Just not memorable.
And then, of course, there is the cute factor. Taft tried to make Billy Possum happen, but it ultimately backfired.
The idea for Billy Possum was born at a 1909 banquet in Atlanta. President-elect Taft specifically requested “possum and taters,” or an 18-pound roasted possum on a heap of sweet potatoes. Taft loved the dish. In fact, he ate it so fast that a doctor warned him to slow down.
The next day, Taft said, “Well, I certainly like possum… I ate very heartily of it last night, and it did not disturb in the slightest my digestion or my sleep.” I should tell you, Taft was America’s heaviest president. The boy loved to eat.
Anyway. Less than 24 hours after Taft ate his possum and taters, a new company called the Georgia Billy Possum Company was formed.
Well, I can certainly see the disparity between the two from this day -and age’s perspective. Most people don’t find an opossum highly attractive. But that company pushed on back in 1909 with its “bright” ideas.
The Georgia Billy Possum Company tried to make Billy Possum just like the real thing. They took possum skins from expired possums and stuffed them. The unfortunate result looked more like a rat than a possum. Strike one.
Instead of stuffing dead possums, the company decided to design a toy possum. Billy Possum was instantly declared the replacement teddy bear. They were playing the odds, I suppose, because by 1907, Americans had already bought nearly a million teddy bears. Taft supporters and toy manufacturers were confident that Billy Possum would replace the teddy bear as America’s new favorite stuffed toy.
Yet before Taft’s first year in office was over, Billy Possum flopped. The difference? Roosevelt had wanted to save a poor, victimized bear. Taft, on the other hand, was eating opossum dinner every chance he got.
And in the land of legacy, Taft’s presidency mirrored the outcome of the mascots.
My moral of the story?
Love an opossum. In a hug sort of way. But definitely not with ketchup.
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In Japanese culture, there is a belief that God is everywhere – in mountains, trees, rocks, even in our sympathy for robots or Hello Kitty toys.
– Ryuichi Sakamoto
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As men get older, the toys get more expensive.
– Marvin Davis
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Play is our brain’s favorite way of learning.
– Diane Ackerman
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Love me a possum. Mmmm. Mmmm. Good.
