Nestled deep in tissue paper inside a box inside a cedar closet in the dark recesses of our basement is a Teddy Bear my son received as an infant. It was much loved and wears the stains and patches that denote its years of service to a little boy who often needed Teddy to help him get through sickness. No doubt in his imagination Teddy had much to say. I think it’s time to let Teddy do his job again – making small children smile.
There is a movement wending its way through Facebook to place Teddy Bears in windows for children to find. Call it a playful bear hunt where all that is collected are smiles and all that is heard is, “I found one – look, look!”
Recently I joined in the fun. I placed two Teddy Bears in my front window. These bears were purchased as remembrances of a trip we took to Niagara Falls with my son and his daughter about 11 years ago. My granddaughter has moved on from wanting to play with a toy bear. I have not. Those bears have been with me ever since. Now they grace the front windows waiting for little children to find them.
It seems the activity began in Belgium and was picked up by Danish families where it is enjoying a great deal of exposure and giving kids something fun to do. More recently, a local Facebook group started Teddy Bear hunting. We want to jump in and add to the game, so get out those Teddy Bears and let’s have some fun!
Starting April 2, The Wanderer is asking its readers to take pictures of the bears they find and share those pictures with the Tri-Town community. All we need to make this game really super-duper is lots of Teddy Bears in lots of windows throughout the Tri-Town.
To add to the fun, the April 9 issue The Wanderer will publish photos you take of the Teddy Bears you’ve tracked down. Please make sure to include your name and the town where the Teddy Bear was spotted. That’s it. Let’s see how many Teddy Bears our Tri-Town community can press into new service and how many pictures you can take and share.
Feeling a little self-conscious because you don’t want anyone to know you collect Teddy Bears? Pish-tosh! Grown-ups can play, too. What better time than now to add a bit of humor, a bit of adventure, a bit of the carefree to our lives. Let those Teddy Bears out.
Send your Teddy Bear pictures to news@wanderer.com or post them on our Facebook page!
By Marilou Newell