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Do Pedophiles Have a Cartoon Mascot? Or Do Police Not Have a Clue?
Filed under: In The News, Weird But True
We all know bears are cute and cuddly, unless you happen to be getting mauled by one.
But fictional bears -- from Smokey to Paddington -- are all supposed to be safe, right?
Maybe not. Police are warning that the nation's pedophiles have come up with their own adorable cartoon bear. And this bear, like the pedophiles themselves, may hide a diabolical purpose.
Or police just might be clueless.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports the bear, called Pedo Bear, is used as a sort of visual shorthand on the Internet to flag inappropriate content -- basically saying, "Stop being creepy about kids."
However, police officers across the country fear the bear is a de facto mascot for pedophiles.
Critics laugh. Would a group of criminals, who thrive on secrecy, really announce themselves with a cartoon mascot?
Deputies at the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department think so. The Chronicle reports they issued a warning to the public about Pedo Bear. And KOTV, the CBS affiliate in Tulsa, Okla., reports police there did the same thing.
"His cute face and non-threatening appearance negate the truth of his sinister, much darker side," a news release from the Child Exploitation Unit of the Tulsa Police Department reads. "Pedo Bear is and should be associated with the Internet and pedophiles, sexually-preferential offenders who reportedly use him to communicate their interests in young children to each other."
Fears of Pedo Bear were further fueled when someone dressed up as the character during Comic-Con, the massive annual comic book convention held in San Diego, Calif., in July. The person was eventually thrown out.
The website Gawker, dedicated to media news and gossip, has been having a field day at police officers' expense.
"As much as it would make cops' jobs easier (and, judging from this episode, it needs to be as easy as possible for these idiots to get anything done), pedophiles have not collectively decided to brand themselves with a logo so we can easily identify them," reads the site's report of the incident.
Gawker editors report they have been contacted by the San Luis County deputies, who acknowledge Pedo Bear is little more than an Internet joke. However, deputies also sent the site their two-page, full-color Public Safety Information Bulletin detailing warnings about the character.
Related: 'I See You Have a Family Decal on Your Car. Now I Will Kidnap Your Kids!'
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
9-15-2010 @ 5:39PM
James said...Ghee whizz dumbass, did you just figure that out? Seriously, I can't believe that policeman, talking about "the pedo bear". Hmm well, let me think: The pedo bear is COMMON KNOWLEDGE. For over a decade, people who surf the web have known the age old cartoon character called "pedo bear". From flash movies to flash pictures, to photo-shop and elsewhere. From Funnyjunk and Madblast, to Newgrounds and Youtube, we have all laughed at the pedo bear joke.
Seriously, are you living in the 80's, Mr. Policeman? Get with the times, moron. This is OLD, OLD, OLD NEWS.
And what kind of moron would think that pedophiles have banded together to create a cartoon image of themselves, let alone dress up in bear costumes to abduct little children. This man has clearly been on the drugs or the alcohol just a little too long.
The pedo bear was created by some anonymous internet guy poking fun too long ago for anyone to remember clearly.
Like many of the internet's offspring and mascots, they appear out of nowhere, and created by no one.
And lastly, the pedo bear, pronounced (pee-doh), is a world-wide internet joke, and if you are a regular internet surfer, and you find a pedo bear symbol on someone's car, chances are you both have a lot in common.
Because after all, more than two-thirds of all people who surf the internet are men, and are of course, sexually perverted. If only on the internet.
Reply
9-15-2010 @ 6:15PM
Zabine Chareux said...It's about time.
I've known about Pedobear for a long time now, seen some loser dressed as him at Otakon. It's in bad taste. I know the pedophiles didn't ban together and create him but the idea of making a cartoon bear that loves the lolis as an amusement demeans the very nature of what pedophiles are. They are not a comically lovable critter, they are dangerous to children.
The Pedobear joke has gone far enough and it's no long funny any more. It's time to let that meme die.
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9-15-2010 @ 10:14PM
Stu said...We will soon be entering the time of childhood fantasies. We'll have vampires, witches, ghosts and goblins, Santa Claus and his elves.
Children from 2 thru 24 will be taken.
Share the time that you'll be together. 1 hour shopping, 1 hour arcade, 1 hour food court. Of course these times are relevant to your shopping style.
Most children are lost at the arcades, parents feel that the children know better. The children can be taken, screaming, kicking, but the arcade person will always blow it off as a family problem.
Reply
9-16-2010 @ 4:21AM
gammagabby said...absluted ly not all positions re o be screened so they cant have a way to meet ,them its like giving a libraryto aomeone who doesnt read. thy dont care, just found a new way to meet kids
Reply
9-16-2010 @ 2:48AM
jgcole said...Oh. Wow. Really? This is what happens when people who are too old for the internet try to use it. They fail to understand its strange and depraved customs and lingo, and come into contact with memes only after they are ancient to the point of fossilization. Being fearful that pedobear is the pedophiles' "cartoon mascot," and that anyone associated with the image is therefore a pedophile is hilariously ignorant. Sort of like your mom saying "the google." The image does have its roots in loli-loving 4chan, but has become ubiquitous. It is, if anything, the internet's cartoon mascot.
Reply
9-16-2010 @ 2:27PM
AliCatPwnsYou said...It's sad.
I'm wearing a pedobear shirt right now, actually.
If anyone knew the story behind it, it wouldn't be so bad. All of the anti-4chan sites and parents saying "O DIS IZ BAYUD", might need to read up before they rant us down. I'm sure there's a loophole that entails "freedom of appearance". Get over it, yeah?
Reply
9-20-2010 @ 2:25AM
Kidletnation.com said...Hilarious.
I've been the bear's sticker on Vans here in Vancouver...
Reply