YouTuber Jake Paul fooled the TSA with a giant teddy bear
A YouTube star and a stuffed bear caused quite a social media stir this week after Transportation Security Administration officials found out they were being pranked.
The buzz began after TSA posted an Instagram photo of a sad looking teddy bear at the airport.
"He was abandoned by his owners at LAX after the airline and TSA determined that he was just too big to be screened as a carry-on and taken on the plane," TSA wrote in the initial photo caption, using the image as a reminder to passengers about carry-on guidelines.
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Many commenters then called out the TSA, suggesting the agency was violating the 4th Amendment and ruining a kid's Christmas by not letting the bear on board.
Turns out the TSA was being pranked.
On Dec. 8, YouTuber Jake Paul uploaded a video titled "TAKING 9ft TEDDY BEAR ON AN AIRPLANE (cops came)." In it, he tries to take "Brodie the Bear" -- a gift for his girlfriend -- through airport security, but is shut down.
The video features Paul's interactions with airport officials and bystanders.
TSA eventually realized who the bear belonged to.
The agency posted an update to its Instagram photo, as well as a lengthy blog post on Thursday titled "TSA Myth Busters: Did LAX TSA Officers Prevent a Child’s Teddy Bear from Flying?"
"A picture of the bear and an incident report were sent to me as an idea for an Instagram post," Bob Burns, who runs the TSA's social media, wrote in the blog. "I thought it would be a good opportunity for a travel tips post letting people know that very large items can sometimes pose problems when being carried on the plane. Even though I didn’t mention a child in the Instagram post, some quickly assumed it was a child’s bear and imagined a heartbroken child having to leave its friend behind for the holidays. This was not the case. It belonged to a grown man."
He didn't identify Paul, though he said the YouTuber "wasn’t even certain the bear would make it onto the plane telling his YouTube viewers that he had a 50/50 chance. In one scene, you can watch him have a little trouble stuffing the bear in the back of a minivan. He also confesses in the video that he created a fictional back story for the bear to help him get it on the plane. He said it was gift for his girlfriend. So… no children were involved in this incident."
Pranks are one of the most popular online video genres. According to video analytics firm Tubular Labs, searches for prank-related videos across all social media platforms have accounted for 7 billion views so far this year.
Paul seems amused by all the attention. He tweeted the hashtag #LetBrodieFly on Thursday.
Topics YouTube
Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
