It all started on March 27th when the City of Yorba Linda prompted residents to put teddy bears in their windows to entertain neighbors who were sheltering in place. Laura Snyder got a playful inspiration to sort through her kids’ and grandkids’ toys to dress and pose her giant stuffed Kodiak bears on her front lawn. When a neighbor sent her photo in to a local news show on Star Wars Day, Laura’s bears started getting a lot of attention which led to an interview with ABC7. Eight months later Laura continues to give her bears a new adventure on national days and holidays.
Neighbors widely shared photos of Goldie and Brownie on their personal pages which were then picked up by the popular Facebook group, Yorba Linda Buzz. Photos of Laura’s bears have now been shared across the world through social media.
Pam Hollis, a Speech Language Pathology Assistant and neighbor of Laura, was a huge influence in getting the pics across the world through her friends and colleagues in South Africa. Laura has learned that the bears are even helping children in therapeutic and educational settings such as therapy sessions to process feelings, and for teachers to encourage students to write and speak about what the bears are doing.
“I never in my wildest dreams imagined how many people it has reached,” says Laura. “I’m a private person, but these bears are an outlet for creativity. They help me open up and be silly and whimsical, which is something I think we all need more of.”
Everyone wants more of these bears, so Laura is working with her connections to Children’s Hospital of Orange County to produce a photo book featuring the adventures of Goldie and Brownie and Baby Bear with all proceeds benefiting CHOC.
Pull quote: "[The bears] help me open up and be silly and whimsical, which is something I think we all need more of.”
