Man dressed in life-sized teddy bear costume walking from Los Angeles to San Francisco
A California man dressed in a life-sized teddy bear costume of his own creation — affectionately dubbed ‘Bearsun’ — is walking his way from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
According to a Gofundme set up to commemorate the nearly 400mile journey, Bearsun started his long walk from Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo neighborhood on Monday and hopes “to raise money to donate to any selected nonprofit,” people.com reported.
“The goal is to finish under a week,” the description of the page read. “I won’t be staying in hotels, I’ll be camping outdoors the entire time.”
As of Thursday, the mascot has already reached Bakersfield, California — more than 100 miles from his initial starting point.
When asked about Bearsun’s big adventure, Jesse Larios — the man inside the bear costume — told CNN, “I’m like a puppy, I guess. I just see something, and I chase after it.”
The 33-year-old California native said that Bearsun is expected to reach the Bay Area by next Wednesday after experiencing some unpredicted mountainous trails and road closures.
Along the way, Bearsun has also encountered curious law enforcement officers.
“You may have seen a large teddy bear walking through town, yes a large teddy bear .... walking,” the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station shared on its Facebook earlier this week.
“One of our deputies got the opportunity to meet up with the individual inside the bear and learned he is on a mission to complete a walk from Los Angeles to San Francisco.”
“We wish him the best of luck on his adventure!” the department added.
However, Bearsun’s long walk to San Francisco isn’t Larios’ first experience with a long distance trek.
He wore the bear costume to run in the 2019 Los Angeles Marathon and again in the following year.
Bearsun’s current movements are now being tracked on social media through the mascot’s Instagram account.
“This is what I want to do. I just want to run marathons in my bear suit,” Larios told CNN. “It makes other people happy too, and I’m all about laughter and smiles.