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Bearsun, the life-size teddy bear, strolls through San Jose

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Jesse Larios began his 380-plus mile trek from Los Angeles on April 12. But it wasn’t just any journey, it was a walking adventure in a full life-size teddy bear costume — a character he calls Bearsun.

Thursday, he found himself in San Jose, walking down Monterey Road as he winds his way to the Golden Gate Bridge where he hopes to complete his journey before Sunday.

“This is my own character, I am trying to give it his own persona,” Larios said. “I wanted to take the character out of a book and not have a script either, kind of like how we write our own lives too. I wanted to give that character his own life.”

Inspired by his own creativity, he says he slipped on a pair of Adidas shoes with no planning and chose to rely on Google Maps to guide him —  a decision he calls a mistake in hindsight.

“It kept leading me into dead ends, so after three days I was just going in a circle. I think it just turned into something completely different than what I had in mind.”

Along the way, Bearsun has resonated with people he encountered, Larrios said, though this isn’t the first time, he has donned the suit. He first introduced the Bearsun character to the world while running a marathon in Los Angeles.

For now, he plans to post a poll on Instagram for followers to decide which non-profit organization he will give all the donations he’s received on the trip.