Fearing the Teddy Bear was just a fad, some folks started looking for a successor toy. They settled on the Billy Possum. We dig into the birth of Billy Possum at a lavish Atlanta banquet for William Howard Taft in 1909, the innovative and disturbing promotional efforts of Susie W. Allgood to make Billy Possum happen, and the series of unfortunate events that led to the stuffed marsupial's downfall. Show notes and more at plodpod.com Check out our brand new "Hello Billy Possum!" shirt at our TeePublic merch store: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/42623213-hello-billy-possum?ref_id=24294 Consider joining our Patreon family for bonus material and more at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents Follow the Southern Gothic podcast at https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/follow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices