Valentines Day Gift Teddy Bear Angers Mental Health Advocates

The Vermont Teddy Bear Co. stated recently that it will be continuing to sell its strait-jacketed "Crazy for You Bear" as a Valentine's Day Gift offering, despite repeated protests from mental health advocates. "We recognize that this is a sensitive, human issue and sincerely apologize if we have offended anyone," the Valentines Day gift company released in a prepared statement. "That was certainly not our intent. This bear was created in the spirit of Valentine's Day, and as with all of our teddy bears, it was designed to be a light-hearted depiction of the sentiment of love."

The teddy bear, which was specifically designed and marketed as a Valentine's Day Gift, comes packaged with commitment papers and is meant to communicate out-of-control love of the gift giver to the recipient. Mental health advocates argue the teddy bear is "a tasteless use of marketing that stigmatizes persons with mental illness," Jerry Goessel, executive director of the Vermont chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, expressed to the Vermont Teddy Bear Company. He added that "A strait jacket is not a symbol that we want to associate with sales of a teddy bear for loved ones as a Valentine's Day gift. And the use of commitment papers, legal documents committing an individual to involuntary treatment, is not something to be taken casually."

Mr. Goessel has requested the $70 teddy bear be removed as one of the company's Valentines Gift ideas for customers to choose from. Other mental health advocates are reported to also be supporting the removal of the teddy bear. The Vermont Teddy Bear Company stated that it will be discontinuing the bear, but not before Valentines Day on February 14th. "This teddy bear was developed specifically as a Valentine's Day gift and is not a permanent addition to our product line," the company statement read. "This bear will remain an offering for Valentine's Day."