Artist Creates Gory Zombie Teddy Bears! [Pics]

Mikey McCollor

Since I'm so stunted emotionally, I own a lot of teddy bears. Some wore little bowties, some have hearts on their tummies, and some even say "I love you!" when they're squeezed.

These bears are different.

This bear only says "The worst nightmares are the ones you have
when you're awake!" and I didn't even squeeze it.
(source)

Illustrator Phillip Blackman created a line of zombie teddy bears, or "Undead Teds", as he's dubbed them. Some of the bears hold their hearts on the outside, some have their mouth flesh ripped away, exposing their teeth. The first was made a few weeks before Valentine's Day, and since posting to Etsy, Blackman has been unable to keep up with demand for the bloody little guys. Blackman summed up the popularity of the bears, saying "there are always people who like the macabre". And that makes sense, I suppose, since Tim Burton is still making movies.

Can someone get this guy some Skittles or something?
(source)

Blackman sells the bears from between 70 and 140 dollars and spends about 2 days making each one. At least one major toy company has asked him to make 100 bears for more than his usual asking price, but Blackman turned them down. He apparently wants to limit the zombie bears to those who have already entered into the Etsy que. It's like that iOS Mailbox app — the only way you're getting one of these is to wait in the Etsy line, pal.

Waiting in line for an app is like Christ waiting in purgatory. It is NOT
what I've been lead to believe is supposed to happen.
(source)

I'll be honest, these zombie bears make me feel kind of sad. For one, there are so many alive teddy bears that need homes. But also, simply seeing them mangled does kind of turn my stomach. Clearly these nice animal friends who just want to be LIKED by you met with a terrible, violent end. And that' isn't a good way for a friend to go out. As I scrolled through the Undead Ted tumblr, I was forced to ask myself — What did I do to deserve seeing bears like this?