Pedophiles adopt Pedobear as their mascot

Pedobear! You know him as the internet superstar who brings joy to millions as a cuddly harbinger of child predation. But not everyone finds the concept of a pervy virtual Easter Bunny to be utterly delightful. In 2010, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department issued a warning claiming that Pedobear had been “adopted as a mascot” by pedophiles. (It was a perfectly logical assumption, seeing as how child molesters have long sought a highly recognizable cartoon symbol to align themselves with, that they might be more readily identified amidst the general population.) Now, the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office has made it a top priority to alert parents to the furry, lollipop-wielding menace in our midst.

In this report from New Mexico’s KRQE, spokesperson Lynn Southard offers a stern warning to the public: “The bear is cute,” she concedes, pausing a moment to resist PB’s button-eyed adorableness. “The bear is cute. Buuuut — that is what the pedophiles are using to identify each other.”