For those unfamiliar with the above Internet meme and all its variants, Pedobear is an icon that is often used to jokingly (and sometimes seriously) accuse someone of having pedophilic tendencies. For example, if someone gushes about how cute 16-year-old singer Justin Bieber is on a chat room, another person might respond with this photo below, with no additional explanation needed.

Pedobear’s legacy seemed to reach a cultural apex when he ended up on the cover of a Polish newspaper in March.  A lazy editor at the Gazeta Olsztynska most likely downloaded an image of the Vancouver Winter Olympics mascots from the Internet, not realizing that a blogger had created a composite image that inserted Pedobear into a drawing of the actual mascots.  This wasn’t even an intentional hoax:

But now, Pedobear has moved on from being from an Internet joke and a fraudulent Olympic mascot to becoming an actual danger to society … according to the Sheriff’s Department in mid-state California. San Luis Obispo authorities are warning locals to watch out for the Pedobear image, suggesting that those who display/send/dress up as Pedobear are signaling their pedophilia. According to KSBY, here is the message that was distributed to parents:

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department is warning parents about a disturbing new phenomenon made popular by pedophiles and sexual deviants.

The Pedo Bear began as an online Japanese cartoon character, and is known for his “lecherous nature” towards prepubescent children.
Recently, pedophiles have adopted the bear as a mascot.

Although there have been no reported sightings of the image on the Central Coast, individuals dressed in the bear costume and car decals have been seen in Southern California.

Local law enforcement cautions parents to be aware of the image, particularly at public events. For concerns about the image, contact the Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement division of the sheriff’s department at 805-781-4550.

What’s amazing about this story is that the office claims to be fully aware of Pedobear’s origin as an Internet meme.  Yet, despite its history as a shorthand way to accuse someone of pedophilia – thereby serving as an anti-pedophilia icon, at best, and black humor, at worst – the Sheriffs insist, with no support, that Pedobear has now been adopted as a mascot by actual pedophiles.
I find this incredibly hard to believe.  First, do pedophiles really meet as a group to “adopt” things? Second, why would they vote on a mascot?  Third, even assuming they have meetings with agenda items that involve voting on a logo, would they adopt a mascot whose origins are associated with pedophilia?

Are SLO sheriffs also arresting people on suspicion of being homicidal maniacs because they have a poster of Jack Nicholson in The Shining on their walls?

Here is the actual PSA Bulletin that Gawker obtained:

I admit I have some sympathy for the department since the humor involved in Pedobear’s usage is hard to explain.  But a little research would have made clear that those who use it are not, in any way, celebrating, promoting, or tolerating child molestation.

So does this mean that cops in SLO might have reasonable suspicion to stop people with Pedobear stickers on their car?

I suspect this driver might be able to tell us once he’s able to post bail:

Update! Fox 23 in Tulsa inaccurately reported that “in San Diego at the Comic Con festival, police found a registered sex offender who had previously assaulted a child dressed in this suit, handing out free candy.”

Video goodness:

(Thanks to C.H. for the tip)