Trumpy Bear Distributor Says They’ve Received Hundreds Of Threats

TOPLINE

The distributor behind Trumpy Bear—a $40 plush teddy bear resembling President Trump, and advertised on cable channels like Fox News—told Forbes Tuesday that they’ve received hundreds of threats over the product, including death threats, and that one threat was worrying enough to prompt an FBI investigation.

KEY FACTS

Crucial quote

“We’re not a PAC. We sell a product,” Brackett said. “It’s just a goof that people like and people like to hate.”

Big number

10. That’s how many threats Exceptional Products has received over Trumpy Bear that were referred to law enforcement, Brackett said.

Surprising fact

Brackett said people often think Trumpy Bear is a joke or a parody, and not a real product available for purchase. Fact checking website Snopes has a page dedicated to proving Trumpy Bear is real. 

Key background

A 2017 Trumpy Bear commercial opens with a voiceover proclaiming, “A storm is coming.” Speculation on Twitter linked the phrase to the QAnon conspiracy theory, whose followers believe Trump is battling a “deep state” group of liberal politicians, government officials and Hollywood celebrities that are running a global sex trafficking ring. To QAnon believers, “the storm” refers to a time in the future when Trump will round up the alleged “deep state” and arrest them, in a sort of global reckoning. Brackett said the 2017 Trumpy Bear commercial predated QAnon, which a 2018 story on the toy by Wired confirms. Trumpy Bear inventor V.L. Lange was referencing the Bible with “a storm is coming,” Brackett said. Lange did not respond to a request for comment by Forbes. But, according to the International Bible Society, storms are mentioned in at least 80 passages throughout the text.  Brackett refused to disclose sales numbers for Trumpy Bear because they’re a private company. He did say, however, that sales of the bear bumped up in March, which he attributed to more people staying home due to the coronavirus pandemic and seeing Trumpy Bear commercials on TV. 

Further reading

How Trumpy Bear Divided the World—and Conquered the Internet (Wired)

Is Trumpy Bear Real? (The Cut)

‘The Storm Is Here’: GOP House Candidate Tweets QAnon Rallying Cry After Trump Retweets Her (Forbes)