MILWAUKEE, Wis. – The “Cocaine Bear” craze is coming to the world of bobbleheads.
On Friday, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in conjunction with KY for KY unveiled the first Cocaine Bear Bobblehead. The limited-edition statuette features the 175 lb. black bear who died after overdosing on a stash of cocaine found in the mountains of Fannin County, Ga., just south of the Tennessee border in 1985.
Interest in the story has soared following the release of the movie, Cocaine Bear. The same bear is said to be on display in Lexington, at the Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall.
“We’re excited to be working with KY for KY to create the first bobblehead of Cocaine Bear whose wild story nearly 40 years ago has taken on a life of its own,” National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar said. “Since the release of the movie of the same name, Cocaine Bear has found himself in the spotlight. This bobblehead is a must-have for fans of this party animal.”
The bobblehead features the bear on a display mount, accessorized by a duffle bag of cocaine. The bobbleheads, which will be individually numbered, are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store and the KY for KY Online Store. They are expected to ship in July and are $30 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.
“Nothing makes a bear’s head bobble more than a bunch of cocaine,” said Griffin VanMeter from Kentucky for Kentucky. “We’re honored that Cocaine Bear is making its bobblehead debut with the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum. They’ve been amazing partners to develop this Cocaine Bear keepsake with–the first of its kind!”
According to the museum, “In December of 1985, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced that a 175 lb. black bear had ‘died of an overdose of cocaine after discovering a batch of the drug,’ according to a three-sentence item from United Press International that appeared in the New York Times. The cocaine was apparently dropped from a plane piloted by convicted drug smuggler Andrew Thornton because he was carrying too heavy a load while parachuting. The bear was found dead in the mountains of Fannin County, Ga., just south of the Tennessee border, alongside 40 opened plastic containers of cocaine. Dr. Kenneth Alonso, the state’s chief medical examiner at the time, said after a December 1985 autopsy that the bear had absorbed three or four grams of cocaine into its blood stream, although it may have eaten more.”
