Ryan Reynolds Is Offering $5,000 Bounty For Stolen Stuffed Bear That Plays Voiced Note From Owner's Late Mother

Jul 27, 2020 by apost team

Ryan Reynolds is known for playing superhero Deadpool in the Marvel franchise but turns out the Canadian actor is also a superhero in real life too.

Recently in Vancouver, a beloved bear that included a pre-recorded message from owner Mara Soriano's late mother was stolen, which prompted Mara to ask for its return via social media. News quickly spread, and soon enough national hero Ryan Reynolds posted about it himself, even offering a $5,000 reward to whoever returned the bear to Mara. What a true hero and gentleman!

Taking to Twitter, Reynolds posted a tweet in response to news of Mara's tragic story. He wrote:

“Vancouver: $5,000 to anyone who returns this bear to Mara. Zero questions asked. I think we all need this bear to come home.”

The story of the cherished bear was initially reported in a CBC article and is truly heartbreaking. It details how 28-year-old Mara Soriano was moving with her fiancé into a new apartment in Vancouver's West End recently when she received a call from a friend who'd had a cycling accident nearby. Mara and her fiancé dropped everything in the middle of their move to go and help, and in her "frazzled state" her backpack, which not only had the bear inside but also an iPad and important documents, was left behind for a few minutes.

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Initially, Mara thought the bag was misplaced somewhere, but after checking inside all of her moving boxes and consulting with U-Haul, it was found on the building's security footage that someone had stolen it on the street. Mara explained to CBC, as reported by Yahoo:

"Lo and behold on the security footage, this guy was seen looking around, making sure nobody was looking first. And he just took the bag and ran."

What makes the bear so special is that it had a pre-recorded message inside from Mara's late mother Marilyn, who died of cancer at the age of 53 in June 2019. Mara revealed the personal meaning behind the bear in the same interview with CBC:

"At hospice her voice was different. Much softer. Not the mom I grew up with. That bear is the last memory I have of her speaking in her normal voice. She said that she loved me and she was proud of me and that she'll always be with me."

Despite her backpack containing important documents including a blank checkbook, Mara's citizenship card, social insurance cards, and her and her fiancé's passports, the Build-A-Bear with her mother's voice is the item she wants to be returned the most. Mara says that it's an important reminder of her native country, the Philippines, which she left at the age of nine. She added:

"It's a reminder of home. The bear has a message in it in Filipino. It says 'I love you,' but in our language. So it's very specific and very unique."

Let's hope Mara is reunited with her very personal bear soon. Meanwhile, Ryan Reynolds has shown that not only is he a superhero and gentleman, but he's truly a great person at heart. The actor, who's married to Blake Lively, is a father of three, and no doubt knows how meaningful stuffed animals can be.

Speaking with People and Entertainment Weekly on SirusXM EW Radio in 2016, Reynolds talked about his love of being a father to girls, saying: "If I could have nine daughters, I would be thrilled. Really, like I genuinely would be."

What do you think of Ryan Reynolds' kind gesture of offering a reward for the return of Mara's bear? Let us know your thoughts down below, then be sure to pass Mara's story on to others.