Belated Christmas Hugs

This little one was a bit of a squirm.

Had to make sure I had a good grip whilst getting some cuddles in.

Little bear hugs

They are the best :)

I wish my smile was as big as his.

Is everyone getting into the Christmas mood?

Whilst I'd love to get up to no good, there doesn't seem to be much room for it.

Event I could get behind.

This is the sort of thing I'be been wanting to do for ages.

Don't think this is the right sort of crowd though :)

Barry Bear supports picnics

Getting cold in Melbourne

It's been getting rather chilly down this way.

This bear is going to have to go into hibernation.

I know it's been quiet lately.

Guess that's to be expected when you lose inspiration...

Booted from Supernova :(

On April 14th I walked all the way from the parking lot to the front of the Melbourne Show Grounds in  my bear outfit, holding my head (as I can't see with it on), purchased a ticket, went to walk in and was stopped by security.

I was led to a panel which proceeded to ask if it was a Pedobear costume.

I think my mistake was to say yes :(

They said that I could either leave the head with them or be escorted off of the premises. I found this very confronting. I tried to open a discussion about it being a laugh on the Internet and that I had only ever been met with enthusiasm whilst wearing the costume. They were quite decided on the matter though. As I was leaving one of the members mentioned that the 'Pedo' was short for paedophilia.

I was annoyed. So I wrote up a long letter to get a better understanding of what was going on. My two main points being:

I do not wear the costume to support paedophilia.

I do not know nor could I associate with paedophiles.

I'd be slightly sickened to hear that people thought I was a paedophile because I was wearing the costume.

I wonder what other costumes you would ban because their characters portray actions you deem unacceptable.
Would you ban Dark Sidious (Star Wars) because he has people killed and wants to rule the galaxy by force?

Would Indiana Jones be banned because he acquired some of his goods via dubious means?

I got a response back from Drew (whom I thank for the decent conversation).

In this day and age of social media, you can see the very high possibility of being slandered through media saying that we are a convention that supports paedophilia by allowing pedobear with the kids.

Felt that they are just covering their asses. Not really wanting to go out of their way to support the people who attend their event.

It was good to hear that "You haven't been targeted and this isn't personal at all". It definitely felt that way on the day.

It was interesting to read "Pedobear itself is banned per se, but I'll let you look into the background if you haven't already". Guess I'll have to try to make the case for Barry Bear and totally avoid answering the question "is that a Pedobear costume?"

Spectacular back story

Makes Barry Bear sad.

If anyone knows where I should be sending credit for the artwork, let me know

Happy new year :)

Catching up with Pedo Bear

Yes, one of us is evil.

Pedo Bear with Barry Bear

We can still get together and have a bit of a laugh though.

Inappropriate

Who would have thought that I sometimes have to deal with people who want more than I have to offer.

Getting into action

I think these girls wanted trouble

A Christmas treat

This is the shot that generally attracts the most attention.

Pedo Bear - eat your heart out.
This is how you put smiles on faces.

I hope this photo comes back in many forms during her life.

Hope she enjoys it as much as everyone else did.

Merry Christmas everyone :D

Enjoying a treat

You come offering hugs and some people don't get it.

Grabbing Barry Bear's goods.

I wonder why she closed her eyes?

He looks like he is going to enjoy his treat.

 They just want the lollies.

Revenge

Sometimes I meet people who want to get even.
I don't know what I've done.
Maybe they are mistaking me for Pedo Bear?

Did Barry Bear get mistaken for Pedo Bear?

Taking Requests

I've got a few weeks holidays coming up and not much to fill them yet.
If you've got any suggestions or want to meet me for a photo, I might see what I can do.

Obviously this is dependant on the world not ending :D

Enter the unkown

Sometimes it is really hard to tell what people are thinking when they see me.

Barry Bear embraces the 8 bit culture.

The bear that Batman needed.

I wonder if Batgirl met Batman?

Barry Bear gets nice and close to Wonder Woman.
I think she had a bit of a thing for me.

 We all get along though.

Some people can be shocked

Don't know why she is shocked since she already knows Pedo Bear

Not even super powers can save your from Barry Bear

Did she get more than she bargained for?

Some people approve

I meet a lot of people that are just so glad to be around me.

Barry Bear hanging with the right crowd

Furry creatures need to stick together

Some people just want to grab that little bit more. Barry Bear approves of this.

Bear Hunt

It's quite amusing when you see yourself pictured on another person's blog.
I always go hunting after a big event to see if anyone has tagged me appropriately.

http://alvinng.com/oz-comic-con-2012/

I had another one but it seems their site is no longer online.
/needs a hug.

Got to love a good video as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjwPOpC2g-E

Barry points out some invaluable advice

This sort of advice should be common place but it's good to have it re-enforced every now and then.

Sometimes you find someone lurking on their own though.

Sometimes I get distracted

Everyone has a good time when I'm in the photo though.

Right place at the right time.

I was initially planning on bringing hugs to Armageddon in 2011 but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to spread some additional hugs to the new kids on the block.