| Billy Possum | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Real Name |
Billy Possum |
|
First Appearance |
Advertisement for Billy Possum (1909) |
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Original Publisher |
Georgia Billy Possum Company |
|
Created by |
William Howard Taft |
Origin[]
Billy Possum is a short-lived, plush stuffed toy character modeled after an opossum. Created in 1909 as a tongue-in-cheek replacement for the popular Teddy bear, Billy Possum was born out of a political and cultural moment following President Theodore Roosevelt’s departure from office. In response to concerns that the Teddy bear’s appeal might fade without Roosevelt’s presence, cartoonist Lewis C. Gregg devised the opossum toy after a notable incident involving President William Howard Taft, who famously dined on an unusually large opossum dish during a trip to Atlanta.
Originally, toy makers even experimented with using real opossum skins, but the resulting appearance was deemed unappealing, leading to the decision to craft a plush version instead. Despite the clever marketing slogan — "Good-bye, Teddy Bear. Hello, Billy Possum" — and a range of merchandise featuring the character, the novelty failed to capture the public’s long-term interest, and the fad had dissipated by Christmas of 1909.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Billy Possum from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Notes[]
Billy Possum, Herbert Hoover's pet, photographed in 1929.
- President Calvin Coolidge had a cage built on the grounds of the White House for his pet raccoon, Rebecca. After Coolidge left office and Herbert Hoover took his place, a wild opossum began to live in Rebecca's former cage. Hoover named the opossum Billy Possum in reference to Taft.
- Hoover's Billy Possum temporarily became the mascot of a baseball team in Hyattsville, Maryland after the team lost their own opossum.