Teddy Bears: How Did Bears Become Symbol of Comfort for Kids and Death Shrines?

No man or woman would ever want to come upon a bear in the woods, so how did the bear, of all animals, come to represent comfort for sick kids and death shrines? It's strange that the bear is personified in the form of cute, fluffy, huggable and cuddly stuffed bears that kids embrace to help fall asleep, and that adults lay at car accident shrines.

Bears kill and maul people.
But the stuffed teddy bear is a whole new animal, a security crutch for forlorn kids. And how about build a bear workshops? Ever hear of build a shark or build a crocodile workshops? What is it about bears, that they can simultaneously be terrifying, portrayed as vicious killers in movies, yet at the same time, something you hand your teary-eyed 4-year-old at bedtime? Maybe it's because bear cubs are round, plump and cute, almost resembling oversized puppies, but baby sharks and baby crocodiles don't have that same cuteness.

A big husky man who's real tender and affectionate is often called a big teddy bear. But in real life, there is no such thing as a tender, sweet, gentle bear in its natural habitat. If bears are raised by humans since the time they are cubs, they actually can develop into affectionate, playful adult bears that are a lot tamer than wild bears.

But we all know that in the wild, bears are dangerous. And so are sharks and crocodiles, yet you don't see stuffed sharks used as a source of comfort. Can you imagine handing a sick child in a hospital a shark to soothe his fears? Or a stuffed crocodile? Unless the child is Bindi Irwin, this won't fly too well for most kids.

Can you see people depositing stuffed sharks and crocodiles at death shrines? Now, stuffed sharks and crocodiles do exist. I've seen lots of stuffed sharks, actually. But I doubt they are given to kids in their time of emotional need.