should a teddy have a tail?

So, this is about all I've been up too making wise recently*. I decided to try and make a teddy bear.

My favourite is the little bow tie bear, which was the last one I made, which is probably why. No hedgehog shaped head like the first one (he had no snout and very far back ears!) and no busting seams like the second one when I changed stitches, but stitched a little too close to the edges.

Ironically the only bit I didn't hand sew was his bow tie, which for some reason I took a notion to use a 1950's hand cranked kids sewing machine, called a Vulcan Junior. Why do I have this? Not a clue, I think it was my mum's when she was kid, or at least it's from someone on her side of the family, and it's been sitting at the back of one of my shelves for years. Real question is, why did I choose to use it? Truth? Sewing up the bears is actually easier by hand, but I hate having to lug out the proper sewing machine, it's heavy and involves too much set up for a two inch piece of sewing on flimsy fabric. 

I've been looking at little, very basic sewing machines, to do quick simple bits and bobs (hemming mini bow ties etc) but I'm havering over something tiny that basically just does straight stitch or a slightly bigger one which does a few more stitches. Though, the novelty of using the toy sewing machine was enjoyable, the actual using of it was... well, it needs a good service. There's thread wrapped where it shouldn't be, it needs an oil and some rusty bits dealt with, but it was still quicker than hand stitching!

Question is, should a teddy bear have a tail or not? 

Bears have tails, but not all teddies do. Are teddy makers intentionally docking the tails off teddy bears? 

* "What are you making at the moment?" I get asked that question a lot. By people at work (both colleagues and patients who know who I am and my background), by my grandparents, by my family if they see me with any form of fabric, needle, design book or tool in my hand. Sometimes I'm not making anything and sometimes I'm making something but I don't really want to show it in case it goes wrong. I don't always like to talk about what I'm making because it also gets the "why are you doing it" part of my brain active. That part isn't always a beneficial conversationalist.

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Listening: King - Years and Years