Interest
Daily Video: California TV Reports on Pedobear Warning
posted on by Gia Manry
According to a news report aired and streamed by the television station KSBY 6 in southern California on Thursday, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department is warning the local area about the Internet meme character "Pedobear," a cartoon bear frequently drawn as pursuing or otherwise acting lecherous towards children. According to the news report, the Sheriff's Department believes that pedophiles are using the image as a mascot and advises that if a viewer sees the image, to use caution with whoever may be associated with it.
KSBY is affiliated with MSNBC; as such, the story has appeared on the larger news site. Other outlets are reporting that the warning is a mistake on the part of the sheriff's office, including the Metro, the Telegraph, the Huffington Post, and Gawker.
The cartoon version of Pedobear is derived from ASCII (text character) art popular on Japan's popular 2channel message board. That art, known as "Kumaa," was appropriated by the Fukuoka City Consumer Life Center in Japan last month, to be used as a mascot for consumer tips on avoiding falling into debt and other financial problems.
[Via Cal Coast News]
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history