CAJON PASS, CA. (Pain In The Pass) >> A man walking in a giant teddy bear costume going across California on his way to New York has captivated complete strangers as he walks on his journey to raise money on social media.
The man inside of the costume is Jesse Larios, a 33-year-old California native who works for a health insurance company selling insurance plans. Don’t worry this walking bear is friendly, he says.
Some history of Bearsun. He was born in 2016 when Larios created him with the help of a friend. The choice of colors were inspired by his dog, Bear, an Alaskan Malamute. For his “bean” head shape, Larios wanted to give him something unique and goofy, like the distinct football-shaped head of the main character of his favorite cartoon, “Hey Arnold!”
The design speaks to Bearsun’s character, too. While Larios is the talker, Bearsun is the listener, he said, which is why he was designed without a visible mouth on his face.”Bearsun is very open-minded, he’s more action than words,” Larios explained.
He has completed one marathon dressed as Bearsun, a character of his own creation, he also walked from Los Angeles to San Francisco back in April, earlier this year. This time he’s attempting to raise $15,000 on his GoFundMe for Autism, several media outlets reported.
There is a Go Fund Me page he is attempting to raise $15,000 for the walk from LA to NYC for Autism. He says all the funds are going to go to Autism Society of America, Inc. Also you can purchase I am Bearsun merchandise.
If you want to know when it’s time to get some rest, Larios sleeps as is, crashing under the stars inside his costume. “It’s warm, it’s padded,” he said with a laugh. The entire time along the journey he documented his adventure on Instagram.
Larios said his goal as Bearsun is simple: to spread joy. “This is what I want to do. It makes other people happy too, and I’m all about laughter and smiles” he said.
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