Mississippi Code Title 3. State Sovereignty, Jurisdiction and Holidays § 3-3-43

The Teddy Bear is designated the state toy of Mississippi, in recognition of the Mississippi connection to the origin of the Teddy Bear. The connection is that on November 14, 1902, during a hunting expedition led by distinguished Mississippian Holt Collier in Smedes, Mississippi, President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot a small, exhausted black bear. The shot not fired at a baby bear in the Mississippi Delta became a great credit to the heroic and sportsmanlike conduct of President Roosevelt, and because of the President's journey to Mississippi, the stuffed bear toy was appropriately named the “Teddy Bear,” a positive symbol of love, comfort and joy for children of all ages.