Teddy Bears Accompany 35 Percent Of British Adults To Bed, Survey Says (POLL)

About 35 percent of British adults sleep with teddy bears, according to a Travelodge survey.

The hotel chain polled about 6,000 people after trying to track down the rightful owners of 75,000 displaced stuffed animals found in 452 hotels in the past year, United Press International reports.

Ten percent of women polled said they treated their teddy bear as a good friend, while 25 percent of males said they bring their teddy bears on business trips, according to the report.

Respondents said they snuggled with the toys for comfort and a better night's sleep, and one expert said the reasoning makes perfect sense.

"Cuddling a teddy bear is an important part of our national psyche as it evokes a sense of peace, security and comfort," Psychologist Corrine Sweet said in a Travelodge press release obtained by Yahoo! Finance.

Scott Hardy, an Arizona businessman, told ABC News he often travels with a stuffed dog in his suitcase. His wife gave him the toy while they were dating.

"I've had some friends who are like, 'What's with the stuffed animal?'" Hardy told ABC after a similar Travelodge survey was released in 2010. "It's just a reminder of my beautiful bride."

According to Travelodge, Britons have a preference when it comes to their favorite bears. The classic teddy bear tops the list as the most popular, followed by Winnie the Pooh and Paddington Bear.

HuffPost blogger and Feed Projects co-founder, Lauren Bush Lauren, describes how teddy bears got their name:

The story goes that in 1902 President Roosevelt was bear hunting in Mississippi. During the hunt, the men he was hunting with had clubbed and tied a bear cub to a tree and suggested that the president shoot it. The president refused, claiming that it was unsportsmanlike to shoot a defenseless bear tied to a tree. He instead ordered that the poor beaten bear be put out of it's misery. The Washington Post caught wind of this incident and included a political cartoon of the President refusing to shoot the bear in the next days paper. A toy maker then saw the cartoon and was inspired to make a new toy -- a 'teddy' bear.

POLL:

Quick Poll

Do you sleep with a teddy bear or stuffed animal?

Yes, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Sometimes, if I'm away from home.

No, but I'm lying because I'm embarrassed.

No way.

VOTE

Share your vote on Facebook so your friends can take this poll

Comments

[manapotion]

08:38 PM on 05/31/2012

I sleep with my pink unicorn, Lord Reginald Arthur Sparkleface III. He was given to me be my neice while I was in the hospital with a near-fatal brain tumor. He kept my company then (Neuro ICUs are really creepy places at night) and he keeps me company now.

Even my cat has a stuffed kitty he cuddles up on.

[Ashley Charron]

01:16 AM on 02/26/2012

I sleep with both my six-pound chihuahua and a stuffed sheep named Rusko Cirrus, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. :)

[Peachlet]

02:52 PM on 02/24/2012

Remember when Travelodge had a sleepy bear in a nightshirt as a logo? They were onto something.

[AprillaDaHare]

09:23 AM on 02/23/2012

Not going to lie....I do!

[askskia]

01:29 PM on 02/22/2012

I adore my teddy bear even if sometimes when I wake up I discover he's jumped ship and is on the floor. It's probably because after his trip to the potty he can't climb back in bed.

[InVinoVeritasBC]

10:46 AM on 02/27/2012

That image has me smiling :)

[PurrfectPeach]

01:07 PM on 05/07/2012

I sometimes find Mr Squishy in a similar state! I love your explanation =)

[Robert Mac]

12:57 PM on 02/22/2012

Sleep with a teddy bear ! if only i'd stuck to that , then my life might have been a lot more peacefull
Message to self : Only sleep with teddy b ears ; they don't nag at all or demand new outfits or hairdos or a million other things !
No wonder Elvis sang ; let me be your teddy bear !

[William A]

11:12 AM on 02/22/2012

We have pillows. They serve much the same purpouse. Psychological and physical comfort. Items made of cloth also have a tendeancy to pick up the smell of the user. It makes perfect sense to me, and I don't think it's shameful at all. It's time society moved away from Charlton Heston's idea of what it is to be a man.

And yes, I have a two meter stuffed snake from IKEA that doubles as a neck brace :)

[Veganconnie]

10:28 AM on 02/22/2012

That's one good reason to adopt a cat or small dog. They also purr and/or kiss.

[Brooke Bailey Middleton]

10:23 AM on 02/22/2012

I have a pound puffy, affection ally named, Ralph Dog, who I sleep with every night. He was given to me at age 8 by my most dear Aunt, who is no longer with me. He has been everywhere with me. He is a global traveler. While at a stay in Las Vegas, at the Bellagio, I accidently left him in the bed and the linens were changed. There in the midst of all the linens, was my Ralph Dog. I was utterly distraught. I left Las Vegas without him. Though, the security staff from the Bellagio tracked him down to the one place that cleans all the linens. Two days later, I got the call and he was sent through overnight mail to me. Though, he was missing one eye and his nose, he survived. He is still with me today!

[lbrentnj]

10:19 AM on 02/22/2012

I sleep with my wife who wears a teddy...

[R4Facts]

10:14 AM on 02/22/2012

Well, it's better they're sleeping with stuffed animals than live pets...now that's disgusting!!!!

[Sam Curcuro]

10:07 AM on 02/22/2012

As I recall, one of my sisters children refused to part with their 'Blankie". After years of use and washing it was a virtual rag. My sister solved the problem by slowly snipping tiny pieces of it away, until it was so small it got lost. Pretty funny, pretty clever!

[William A]

11:12 AM on 02/22/2012

Pretty mean LOL!

[buzbeech]

09:53 AM on 02/22/2012

I guess it is no different than me sleeping with two dogs. I cannot rest until they are in bed with me.

[auramac]

10:14 AM on 02/22/2012

I'd rather sleep on the floor than with two dogs. Ugh.

[jella888]

12:36 PM on 02/22/2012

sad

[Stripedtiger458]

09:43 AM on 02/22/2012

Does'nt Mr. Bean sleep with one too? I am 55 and young in heart and physically I am told I look like I'm in my 40's. I stay healthy by going to the gym, and of course I have had stuffed bears, they were my sons and he "grew up" so I adopted them and kept the biggest one in my bed. Always have slept with them. Now I have a stuffed monkey I sleep with. Wife bought it for me 'cuz I told her when I was a kid, all my stuffed toys, the monkey stood out. And he grew worn out and ripped, he was an antique......so my wife went out and got me this cute monkey....gotta keep an eye on the dog...she is "eyeing" my monkey as a chew toy...

[defianteagle]

09:30 AM on 02/22/2012

A bedtime story to go along with the Teddy Bear is the only thing missing...."Where's my mommy?"