Man in Bearsun teddy bear costume gains fans as he walks across Arizona on national tour

For more than three weeks, Jesse Larios has been sharing his journey walking from Los Angeles to New York City on social media, equipped with just a backpack, a tent, and a good pair of walking shoes. 

Oh, and his massive teddy bear suit.

The 33-year-old California native crossed into Arizona along U.S. 95 on July 19 in the first leg of a months-long charity walk, all while dressed as a honey-and-cream-colored bear named Bearsun. Since then, Larios has stopped in Oatman, Kingman, Peach Springs and Seligman, sharing the views and the people he meets along the way.

So far, more than 123,000 people on Facebook and Instagram have tuned in to follow his journey and helped him raise more than $26,000 for various charities. And Bearsun is just getting started. 

'I’m an active person, I love art and wanted to help out'

“I always wanted to create a tool to give back,” Larios said in an interview with The Arizona Republic. “To kind of give back to the community and just help people.”

Inspired by his Alaskan Malamute named Bear, Larios designed the character Bearsun with a friend six years ago. He imagines the character to be beyond stereotypes and one that uses actions over words, hence Bearsun’s absence of a mouth. 

That value of action has led the Bearsun character to appear running in marathons, trekking across California and raising money for charity. 

His first charity walk began in April with a 12-day trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco, all documented on social media. During that time, he raised over $17,000, which was ultimately donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. 

“Pretty much everything I loved, I kind of meshed together,” Larios. “I’m an active person, I love art and wanted to help out people.”

In his current journey, Larios is walking to Times Square in New York City while raising funds for five charities that range from supporting people with autism to the environment. On July 22, he reached his first goal in raising $15,000 for the Autism Society of America. 

His next focus is to raise the same amount for Active Minds, a nonprofit that supports mental health awareness and education for young adults. 

Larios said that while he does have some personal ties to the causes he supports — such as cancer research and mental health — others were inspired by the people he’s met. 

“I didn’t know it was going to cause this kind of ripple effect,” he said of the massive social media following he garnered. But it has ultimately been that following that has helped him continue. 

When asked what inspired him to embark on this long journey, Larios had one word: people. 

“Meeting so many people and hearing their stories, hearing their struggles and hearing their joy,” he said. “I learned a lot. You see how much these issues impact their lives.”

Walking 20 to 30 miles per day, camping each night

Sometimes it’s difficult to imagine how he does it. 

Each day, Larios walks 20 to 30 miles alone with just his backpack filled with a couple days of supplies and a CamelBak full of water. He camps out at night in a small tent before starting again the next day, despite rain or intense heat.

While the idea of covering that much mileage daily for weeks and documenting it to the public can appear daunting, Larios makes it seem effortless. 

Part of that can be attributed to the positive philosophy he occasionally shares with his followers on social media. 

“The unknown can be scary, right? But it also can be a blessing,” Larios said in one video. “It can be beautiful.”

Through the screen or over the phone, he has an infectiously positive persona and a laid-back energy, frequently punctuated with a staccato laugh. This probably makes him the perfect tour guide across the country.

Ever since he trotted across the Colorado River, Arizonans following Bearsun on social media have welcomed Larios with open arms. People frequently stop to snap a photo with him, donate a meal or water, or even just walk with him for a short while. 

He has posted photos of himself as Bearsun posing with the donkeys in Oatman, outside the Kingman Railroad Museum, at Grand Canyon West and other recognizable stops. 

On Saturday, Larios was welcomed by members of the Hualapai Tribe in Peach Springs, where they provided him with a room for the night. A couple of days later, the owners of the Aztec Motel in Seligman also offered him a place to stay and a chance to repair some of the rips on his bear suit before he hit the road again. 

According to Larios, it’s difficult to pinpoint any one experience as a highlight on the beginning of his journey.

“It’s been everything,” him said. “Like, every day just holds something special about where I’m walking.”

Reach breaking news reporter Monica D. Spencer at monica.spencer@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @monicadspencer.

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