Photos: Bookseller keeps Paris plush with teddy bears

Bears have been spotted in shops to remind customers of social distancing rules

Last updated: March 21, 2021 | 16:25

AP and Compiled by Nathaniel Lacsina, Senior Web Editor

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Paris: A bookshop owner has found a way to keep people in Paris feeling plush during the depressing days of the coronavirus pandemic: giant teddy bears.

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Philippe Labourel has been lending out oversized stuffed animals since October 2018.

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Since the pandemic cut short public life in the French capital last year, the bookseller's bears have been spotted sitting at a bus stop and in shops to remind customers of social distancing rules.

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"Don't ask me why I did it in the first place, but I decided to loan the bears everywhere to make people smile," Labourel said.

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Teddy bears placed at tables in Les Deux Magots restaurant. | At up to 2.5-meters-tall (over 8 feet), the teddy bears cause people to stop and stare in wonder.

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Philippe Labourel wants to be named 'Le papa des nounours', 'Teddy Bear father'. | Labourel's bookshop and "bear cave," is situated in the Gobelins district, in the south of Paris.

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Women walks past a closed restaurant filled with teddy bears. | The bear-giver maintains a mysterious air to add to the unexpected delight that comes with encountering one of his cuddly creatures.

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A woman runs past the Hotel du Nord filled with teddy bears. | He said he has acquired many more bears since last year, but will not say from where or how many make up his soft arsenal.

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"Since the virus, I've been giving them out to many areas across the city," Labourel said. "I'm trying to give children a little bit of joy. It's a huge success."

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A man walks past Backstage restaurant filled with teddy bears.

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