Pedobear
Encyclopedia
Pedobear is an Internet meme
that became popular through the imageboard
4chan
. As the name suggests ("pedo" being short for "pedophile"), it is portrayed as a pedophilic
bear
, and is used to mock pedophiles. Recently, particularly in America
, it has been mistaken by some as a bait used by pedophiles to lure children.
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 was used in a CollegeHumor
video parodying the movie Doubt.
On 3 July 2009, Canadian artist Michael R. Barrick created two composite images 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. This image was then mistakenly used by other media, most notably the Polish newspaper Gazeta Olsztyńska
for a 4 February 2010 front page story about the Olympics in Vancouver.
On 24 July 2009, a column 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.
In June 2010, felt collages depicting icons from video game and Internet culture, including Pedobear, were presented at Brooklyn's Renegade Craft Fair.
Other uses of Pedobear include an iStockphoto
wallpaper, a cover of the auto magazine Import Tuner, 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.
In September 2010 cosplay
participants dressed as the character were accused of being pedophiles, 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.
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:
Gawker later reported that it had spoken to the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department, and the department knows it's an "Internet joke", 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. 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
.
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.
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).
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.
Internet meme
The term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
that became popular through the imageboard
Imageboard
An imageboard or image board is a type of Internet forum that revolves around the posting of images. The first imageboards were created in Japan, and many English-language imageboards today are centered around Japanese culture...
4chan
4chan
4chan is an English-language imageboard website. Launched on October 1, 2003, its boards were originally used for the posting of pictures and discussion of manga and anime...
. As the name suggests ("pedo" being short for "pedophile"), it is portrayed as a pedophilic
Pedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
, and is used to mock pedophiles. Recently, particularly in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it has been mistaken by some as a bait used by pedophiles to lure children.
Origin
The bear character originates from the popular bulletin board system (BBS) website 2channel2channel
is a Japanese textboard. In 2007 there were 2.5 million posts made every day. Launched in 1999, it has gained significant influence in Japanese society, comparable to that of traditional mass media such as television, radio, and magazines. As of 2008, the site generates revenue upwards of ¥100...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, 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.
Mainstream media
Pedobear eventually became known outside 4chan as it was referenced by newspapers and prominent websites.Pedobear was used in a CollegeHumor
CollegeHumor
CollegeHumor is a comedy website owned by InterActiveCorp and based in New York City. The site features daily original comedy videos and articles created by its in-house writing and production team, in addition to user-submitted videos, pictures, articles and links. In early 2009, CollegeHumor's...
video parodying the movie Doubt.
On 3 July 2009, Canadian artist Michael R. Barrick created two composite images 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. This image was then mistakenly used by other media, most notably the Polish newspaper Gazeta Olsztyńska
Gazeta Olsztynska
Gazeta Olsztyńska is a Polish language newspaper, published in Olsztyn.The newspaper was first published in the years 1886-1939, in what was then East Prussia...
for a 4 February 2010 front page story about the Olympics in Vancouver.
On 24 July 2009, a column by conservative commentator Pat Buchanan
Pat Buchanan
Patrick Joseph "Pat" Buchanan is an American paleoconservative political commentator, author, syndicated columnist, politician and broadcaster. Buchanan was a senior adviser to American Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and was an original host on CNN's Crossfire. He sought...
about the early months of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's presidency included an image of Pedobear, which generated considerable reaction from non-political commentators.
In June 2010, felt collages depicting icons from video game and Internet culture, including Pedobear, were presented at Brooklyn's Renegade Craft Fair.
Other uses of Pedobear include an iStockphoto
IStockphoto
iStockphoto is an online, royalty free, international microstock photography provider operating with the micropayment business model. Images cost between 1 and 150 credits, depending on size and image collection .- History :The company was founded by Bruce Livingstone in May, 2000...
wallpaper, a cover of the auto magazine Import Tuner, and a flyer of a costume store in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
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
I Can Has Cheezburger?
I Can Has Cheezburger? is the name of a weblog featuring lolcats, which are pictures of cats or other animals with captions, paired for humor value. It was created in 2007 by Eric Nakagawa , a blogger from Hawaii and his girlfriend, Kari Unebasami...
's CEO Ben Huh about Pedobear's cultural significance.
In September 2010 cosplay
Cosplay
, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction...
participants dressed as the character were accused of being pedophiles, after the San Luis Obispo County
San Luis Obispo County, California
San Luis Obispo County is a county located along the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census its population was 269,637, up from 246,681 at the 2000 census...
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.
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:
Gawker later reported that it had spoken to the San Luis Obispo Sheriff's Department, and the department knows it's an "Internet joke", despite the fact that they refer to pedophiles adopting it as a mascot. Two local television stations, KSBY and KCOY-TV
KCOY-TV
KCOY-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Central Coast of California that is licensed to Santa Maria. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter on Tepusquet Peak in the Los Padres National Forest east of Santa Maria. Owned by the Cowles...
, passed on the warning to their viewers. In Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, Sgt. John Adams of the Tulsa Police Department
Tulsa Police Department
The Tulsa Police Department is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies It is the second largest municipal law enforcement agency in the state.The TPD was officially organized in...
Child Exploitation Unit told local television stations KOKI-TV
KOKI-TV
KOKI-TV, virtual channel 23 , is the Fox-affiliated television station in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is owned by Newport Television, a subsidiary of private equity firm Providence Equity Partners...
and KOTV that the person wearing the costume was a registered sex offender
Sex offender registration
Sex offender registration is a system in various states designed to allow government authorities to keep track of the residence and activities of sex offenders, including those who have completed their criminal sentences. In some jurisdictions , information in the registry is made available to the...
.
In December 2010, Big Fish Games
Big Fish Games
Big Fish Games is a provider of Internet media delivery software and game services based in Seattle, Washington. The company was founded in 2002 by Paul Thelen , and currently employs more than 400 people...
published a flash game called "Teddy Bear's Christmas" featuring Pedobear as the main character. The game was removed later.
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
Polk County, Florida
Polk County is located in central Florida between the Tampa Bay and Greater Orlando metropolitan areas. The county was established by the state government in 1861 on the eve of the American Civil War and named after former United States president James K. Polk. The county seat is Bartow and its...
("CP" in a Pedobear context normally stands for child porn).
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.