For more than a decade, one cartoon bear has reigned supreme, lobbying for softer landings and better bathroom etiquette. But who is the Charmin bear, really?
Charmin, a brand manufactured by Procter & Gamble, has never before publicly revealed the bear's identity - or his or her inspiration - until now. We asked the company to name the bear's species, and it was reluctant, ruling out polar bears, grizzlies, koalas and even gummies. We even gave Charmin a list of bear species to choose from. Then, wildlife biologist David Steen suggested the unimaginable - could the Charmin bear be a formerly abused circus bear?
But when we reached out to Charmin headquarters to double-check, there was a twist! Said spokesperson Laura Dressman, "Technically, we're more closely related to the American brown bear - Ursus arctos."
The brown bear, which lives across much of northern Eurasia and North America, bears a pretty striking resemblance, too: