Last week I flagged an article for an upcoming Water Cooler post (this one). The Hershey Bears, famous for their Teddy Bear Toss Success were holding a Drive Thru version of the toss over the weekend. I wanted to see the results.  We have noted here the importance of continuity on your biggest promotions (like the Teddy Bear Toss).  How teams were adapting and finding ways to continue traditions despite the pandemic, like these:

• GR NYE Tradition is Alive and Well
• Teddy Bear Tweak
• Ring My Bell in Philly
• Gritty’s Hat Trick
• Marksmen Big Virtual Night
• Pandemic Bear Success Story

In that final story we share how the Grand Rapids Griffins proudly added their total from the unique drive-by Bear collection. It was important to keep the promotion going and the donations still had great impact. Of course the numbers were a fraction of previous years, since this was a completely different ask of fans.

Meanwhile in Hershey the Hershey Bears amazing run of Teddy Bear Toss collections barely dipped despite not having the promotion at a game.

Take a look at the total:

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A post shared by Hershey Bears (@thehersheybears)

We don’t keep records, but I believe this haul would put them in the Top 10 all-time for Teddy Bears collected. A stunning success from the Bears.

“Things may have looked different this year, but Hershey Bears fans once again lived up to the reputation of being the most generous fans in all of hockey. The Bears, the oldest and most decorated team in the American Hockey League, hosted the GIANT Drive-Thru Teddy Bear Toss and Food Drive on Saturday, with the club collecting a total of 31,381 stuffed animals distributed to eight local charities.

The Bears are the world record holders for the Teddy Bear Toss, an event that traditionally takes place each December, and sees fans throw stuffed animals on the ice after the club’s first goal of the game. In 2019, Bears’ fans set a world record by throwing 45,650 plush items onto the ice after the team scored its first goal of the game. That record earned global attention and surpassed the previous season’s record of 34,798 bears collected. This year’s count of 31,381 is the third highest total in team history.” (team news)

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