In the spirit of Yogi, Paddington and the Berenstain’s comes another bear with something important to say: The World Famous Talking Bear of Oakhurst, CA.
Located at the front of a Century 21 Real Estate office in the small town Oakhurst, CA, this larger than life replica of a California Grizzly stands proud, and is willing to talk to you with a simple push of a button below his paws.
What deep and meaningful goodness spews from this bear's voice box? Well, you might be disappointed to hear that those powerful jaws wax poetic on wildlife ecology and the importance of wilderness preservation. Kinda anti-climactic? Yep, just a little bit, as I was fully expecting him to kick a hip hop verse, or at least some kind of Don Rickles-esque one-liner.
The bear itself looks pretty cool-- made of solid fiberglass, with detailed beady eyes and a ferocious snarl. He's actually life-sized, which is fun because you can climb all over it and (unlike a real bear) you won't get mauled at all!
Now onward to the real question: Why is this thing World Famous? Well...because the sign says so!
All snark aside, this talking bear is actually a certified California Historical Landmark.
HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?
Local human Hugh Shollenbarger gets credit for bringing the bear to Oakhurst in 1963. The bear's body would be purchased on an impulse buy, and Hugh would later add the "talking" part after discovering a voice looping technology during a vacation to Pioneer Town.
Adding the equipment to his new purchase, Hugh voiced it himself and would later donate the beast to a public that really demanded a talking bear statue.
Hard to find any more historical info on it, but you can watch an 80s-tastic broadcast on the bear here.
