TSA uses depressing teddy bear Instagram post to warn travelers

NEW YORK — The Transportation Security Administration has an utterly depressing Instagram post: An abandoned, giant Teddy bear meant to warn travelers about oversized luggage.

“Why does this gigantic teddy bear look so sad?” said the TSA on Instagram, with a photo of a dejected bear slumped against an airport trash can. “He was abandoned by his owners at LAX after the airline and TSA determined that he was just too big to be screened as a carry-on and taken on the plane.”

The TSA warned against the perils of traveling with enormous stuffed animals: “It’s a good idea to check with your airline prior to traveling with overly large items as carry-ons.”

The agency added, “If you see this wayward bear strolling the streets of LA, please feel free to feed him.”

In an update on Instagram, the TSA got a little defensive, explaining that the bear’s owner actually bought a ticket for the bear, but the unnamed airline and the TSA still decided it was too big to screen.

Click on the link in our profile to read a blog post on this subject. ***UPDATE*** After watching a YouTube video posted by the traveler, we’ve learned that he’s a popular YouTuber and this was a stunt to see if he could get the giant bear on the plane. He even made up a backstory that the bear was a gift for his girlfriend. The bear did not belong to a child. The passenger had actually bought a ticket for the bear. After the airline and TSA decided the bear was too large, the airline offered to refund the ticket and the traveler was given the option of checking the bear as checked baggage. The traveler opted not to check the bear and left it behind.*** Why does this gigantic teddy bear look so sad? He was abandoned by his owners at LAX after the airline and TSA determined that he was just too big to be screened as a carry-on and taken on the plane. It’s a good idea to check with your airline prior to traveling with overly large items as cary-ons. If you see this wayward bear strolling the streets of LA, please feel free to feed him. #TSATravelTips

A post shared by TSA (@tsa) on Dec 14, 2016 at 2:21pm PST

The airline offered to refund the ticket and gave the traveler the option of checking the bear as checked baggage. “The traveler opted not to check the bear and left it behind,” said the TSA.

A TSA source attempted to further clarify that it was an adult transporting the bear, not an inconsolable child.

The Instagram post has garnered 11,900 likes and 1,112 comments as of Thursday morning, including this one: “Why don’t you do the right thing and ship it back to the owner that you had to take it away from @tsa it’s Christmas for crying out loud.”

Other comments were supportive of the TSA, with one commenter complaining about “the audacity of some folks with their carry-ons.”

The TSA is no stranger to social media, often using it to highlight the piles of guns and knives that passengers try to carry onto planes.