PARIS (AP) – A bookstore owner has found a way to keep Parisians feeling encouraged during the depressing days of the coronavirus pandemic: huge teddy bears.
Philippe Labourel began lending the huge plush animals in October 2018. Since the pandemic drowned out public life in the French capital last year, his bears have been seen at a bus stop and in shops to remind customers of the norms of social distancing.
“Don’t ask me why I did it in the first place, but I decided to lend the bears everywhere to make people smile,” said Labourel.
The bears, 2.5 meters (over 8 feet) tall, have made people stop and stare at them in wonder.
Labourel’s bookstore and “bear cave” is located in the Gobelins district, in the south of Paris. He maintains an air of mystery to add to the unexpected joy of meeting one of his lovable creatures.
Although he claimed to have acquired many more bears since last year, he did not specify how many or where his soft arsenal was.
“Since the virus, I have loaned them in many areas of the city,” Labourel said. “I try to give the children some joy. It is a success ”.
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