Pedobear is an Internet meme that became popular through the imageboard 4chan.[1] As the name suggests ("pedo" being short for "pedophile"), it is portrayed as a pedophilic bear.[2] It is a concept used to mock pedophiles or people who have an interest in minors, and the bear image has been likened to bait used to lure children or as a mascot for pedophiles.[3][4][5]
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The bear character originates from the popular bulletin board system (BBS) website 2channel in Japan, where it was introduced as クマー (Kumā), an interjection of the word 熊 (Kuma) meaning bear in Japanese. Unlike Pedobear, Kumā has no sexual connotations, pedophilic or otherwise.
Pedobear eventually became known outside 4chan as it was referenced by newspapers and prominent websites.
Pedobear was used in a CollegeHumor video parodying the movie Doubt.[6]
On 3 July 2009, Canadian artist Michael R. Barrick created two composite images[7] depicting Pedobear grouped together with the mascots of 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. One is based on the official art, and the other is based on fanart created by Angela Melick.[8] This image was then mistakenly used by other media,[9] most notably the Polish newspaper Gazeta Olsztyńska for a 4 February 2010 front page story about the Olympics in Vancouver.[10][11]
On 24 July 2009, a column[12] by conservative commentator Pat Buchanan about the early months of Barack Obama's presidency included an image of Pedobear, which generated considerable reaction from non-political commentators.[9]
In June 2010, felt collages depicting icons from video game and Internet culture, including Pedobear, were presented at Brooklyn's Renegade Craft Fair.[13]
Other uses of Pedobear include an iStockphoto wallpaper,[9] a cover of the auto magazine Import Tuner,[9] and a flyer of a costume store in Portland, Oregon which accidentally featured a Pedobear-like figure, being later covered by a local news station, which provided a detailed history of Pedobear, and even interviewed Cheezburger Network's CEO Ben Huh about Pedobear's cultural significance.[9]
In September 2010 cosplay participants dressed as the character were accused of being pedophiles,[14] after the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department issued a warning that Pedobear was a sign of the presence of pedophiles and other people with inappropriate sexual behavior, and suggested that Pedobear was a kind of mascot among pedophiles.[15] Law enforcement officials in San Diego later sent a warning to local media, warning parents that the image can indicate the presence of pedophiles. It also issued a bulletin:
Since the Comic Con, law enforcement in San Diego... has come across PedoBear's image in situations during which they were contacting those that exploit and/or abuse children. (...)
The intention of this bulletin is (...) [to] alert citizens that [PedoBear's] presence may be an indicator of the presence of individuals who have a predilection to sexually inappropiate, or even, assaultive behaviour. While not an absolute, the image of PedoBear should be a sign that you should use caution with whatever situation you are in or the individuals involved.
Gawker later reported that it had spoken to the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department, and the department knows it's an "Internet joke",[15] despite the fact that they refer to pedophiles adopting it as a mascot. Two local television stations, KSBY and KCOY-TV, passed on the warning to their viewers.[16] In Tulsa, Oklahoma, Sgt. John Adams of the Tulsa Police Department Child Exploitation Unit told local television stations KOKI-TV and KOTV that the person wearing the costume was a registered sex offender. [17][18][19]
In December 2010, Big Fish Games published a flash game called "Teddy Bear's Christmas" featuring Pedobear as the main character. The game was removed later. [20]
On March 22, 2011, the blog Urlesque posted a photograph of a coupon book advertisement for “CP Distributor”, a computer repair business in Polk County, Florida ("CP" in a Pedobear context normally stands for child porn).[21]
In July 2011, a Pedobear iPhone application was removed from Apple's App Store. It contained a series of dance moves and background music, with the mascot branded as "Cuddle Bear". It lasted a few weeks before users noticed its presence, having originally been released on June 25th. [22]
On December 15, 2011, a citywide alert was issued by the Pierre Police Department after images of Pedobear have been sighted in certain parts of the city. [23]
On January 2, 2012, a fan dressed in a Pedobear costume appeared at the TicketCity Bowl game between the Houston Cougars and Penn State Nittany Lions college football teams, a likely reference to the ensuing controversy over the Penn State sex abuse scandal.[24]
