Making quarantine 'bearable:' Southern California family's stuffed animal display warms hearts

Friday, May 22, 2020

Yorba Linda family's display makes quarantine bearable

A Yorba Linda family comes up with a clever way to make their time in COVID-19 quarantine more 'bearable' for their neighbors.

YORBA LINDA, Calif. -- Two months ago, the city of Yorba Linda encouraged residents to display bears in their windows to allow people to participate in a fun neighborhood "bear hunt."

Laura Snyder loved the idea, but soon realized she had an almost unbearable problem.

"My bears were too big for the window!" laughed Snyder. "So the first day I put them out in two chairs."

Since then, Snyder has set up the jumbo bears outside of her home with a different theme every day.

"May 4th - 'Star Wars' day. I borrowed some props from my son. He's very into 'Star Wars' and that one got a lot of reaction," said Snyder. "And then the next day we did Cinco de Mayo."

The bears have become local celebrities. Residents love "keeping up with the Kodiaks."

"I have people now that'll drive by and they'll stop and they back up, back around the corner and they look and then they start taking pictures," said Snyder. "I have neighbors I've met now because they're out in the morning walking."

That includes one neighbor who started posting pictures of the bears on social media; which in turn, led to a worldwide audience and a set of unofficial names for the cuddly creatures: Goldie and Brownie.

"I was just having fun, and when I look at the comments on her posts, it leaves me feeling overwhelmed, but I feel like I'm doing something in a very small way that's very important to other people," said Snyder.

If you have a question or comment about the coronavirus pandemic, submit yours via the form below or here.

Get the latest news, information and videos about the novel coronavirus pandemic here RELATED STORIES & VIDEOS: