Pedobear
Pedocat is an internet meme which became popular through the imageboard 4chan. As its name suggests, it is a bear who preys on children for sex.[1]
Origin
Pedobear originates from the popular BBS website 2ch.net in Japan, where it was introduced as クマー (Kumā), which is an interjection of the word くま (Kuma) meaning bear in Japanese. In spite of the impression of Pedobear in Europe and the United States, Kumā is not associated with any sexual thing such as paedophilia.
4chan
Pedobear is a popular joke on website 4chan. When 4chan's creator Christopher Poole defended 4chan generally in an article by the BBC, he admitted his mother "wouldn't necessarily understand" Pedobear.[1]
Mainstream media
Pedobear eventually left the relative obscurity of a 4chan meme as it became referenced in several media such as newspapers and prominent websites.
Pedobear has been associated with the pedophilia scandals involving priests; the character was used in a CollegeHumor video.[2]
On 3 July 2009, blogger Michael Barrick created a composite image[3] depicting Pedobear grouped together with fanart of the cartoon mascots of the Vancouver Winter Olympics originally created by Angela Melick.[4] This image was then mistakenly used by other media,[5] most notably the Polish newspaper Gazeta Olsztyńska for a 4 February 2010 front page story about the Olympics in Vancouver.[6][7]
On 24 July 2009, a column[8] 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 commenters.[5]
In June 2010, felt collages depicting icons from video game and internet culture, including Pedobear, were presented at Brooklyn's Renegade Craft Fair.[9] Other uses of Pedobear include an iStockPhoto wallpaper,[5] a cover of the auto magazine Import Tuner[5], 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.[5]
Despite its origins as "a joke" and that pedobear is widely considered to be an Internet meme, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department claims that the meme has metastasized, and alerted local media to warn parents that the image has been adopted by "pedophiles and sexual deviants."
From a San Luis Obisbo County Sheriff's Dept. Public Safety Information Bulletin:
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Two local television stations, KSBY and KCOY, broadcast that warning.[12]
References
- ^ a b Kelly, Jon (2010-08-31). "BBC News - The strange virtual world of 4chan". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
- ^ "Pedobear "Doubt" Trailer - CollegeHumor video". CollegeHumor. 2009-06-02. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ^ "Michael R. Barrick - New Mascot Added to the Vancouver 2010 Team". LiveJournal. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ^ "Gallery". SpikeComix.com. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ^ a b c d e Robert Quigley (7 February 2010). "Vancouver and More: 5 Times Pedobear has Infiltrated the Real World". Geekosystem.
- ^ Matthew Moore (8 February 2010). "Polish newspaper claims 'Pedobear' is 2010 Vancouver Olympic mascot". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ "'Pedobear' an Olympic mascot?". Toronto Sun. 10 February 2010.
- ^ Patrick J. Buchanan (July 24, 2009). "Is Obamania Over?". Taki's Magazine.
- ^ "Craftzine.com blog : Pixl Pushr Felt Collages". Craft. 7 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-03.
- ^ "San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department Public Information Bulletin Page 1". Gawker. 2009-09-12. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
- ^ "San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department Public Information Bulletin Page 2". Gawker. 2009-09-12. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
- ^ "Sheriff's department warns parents of Pedo Bear image". KSBY-TV. 2010-09-09. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
