Food News

Teddy Bear Kidnappers Demand $10K Worth of Gluten-Free Cupcakes

This story is so abnormal, you'd think it was coming out of Florida. Alas, it's not. A 2-year-old in Brooklyn, New York, dropped his teddy bear, aptly named Mr. Bear, in his school's playground. His mother didn't realize until later that night, but by the next morning, Mr. Bear was gone...

By Devin Desjarlais

June 14, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "Editor Picks / STN Combo",
          "component": "15769925",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Rectangle 2x - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782206",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782207",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

This story is so abnormal, you'd think it was coming out of Florida. Alas, it's not.

A 2-year-old in Brooklyn, New York, dropped his teddy bear, aptly named Mr. Bear, in his school's playground. His mother didn't realize until later that night, but by the next morning, Mr. Bear was gone without a trace.

So like any good mother (or bear grandmother), Susannah Bortner posted "lost" signs on which she offered baked goods and good karma for Mr. Bear's safe return. Finally she got a response from two people claiming to be holding Mr. Bear against his itty-bitty will. In return for his life, the teddy bear kidnappers demanded $10,000 worth of gluten-free, peanut-free cupcakes.

Sounds like a delicious deal to us. According to the Brooklyn Paper's story, Bortner would be willing to bake that many cupcakes if this weren't a hoax.

But it probably is.

Follow Clean Plate Charlie on Facebook and on Twitter: @CleanPlateBPB.

Keep

Free

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we'd like to keep it that way. With local media under siege, it's more important than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" program, allowing us to keep offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food and culture with no paywalls. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1.