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Polar Bear Statues (page 1)

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Polar Bear [gone]
Louisville, KY		 Polar Bears
Rumney, NH		 Polar Bear
Worcester, MA
The Polar Bear in Louisville was installed in front of Zipper Air Conditioning & Heating. The bear originally came from Owensboro, KY but was here for many years. Sometime between 2011 and 2014, the statue disappeared.

These Polar Bears are located at Polar Caves Park. For more, see this website. [map]

The Polar Bear in Worcester is installed on the roof of Polar Beverages' headquarters and production plant. A polar bear named Orson has been the mascot for the company since 1902. This inflatable Orson statue is obviously much more modern. Does anyone know when it was first installed? [map]

Polar Bear [gone]
Houston, TX
This Polar Bear was being painted and installed in front of the Chill Spot Daiquiris To Go when these photos were taken in 2018. The statue was supposedly used in a Super Bowl TV commercial by Coca-Cola. I'm skeptical because I think all of those commercials are animated. Some of the statues features (face, back paw pads, both front paws in bottle-holding position) also seem fairly crude to have been produced by Coca-Cola. By 2022, the Chill Spot and this statue were gone.

Polar Bear & Cubs [gone]
Mesa, AZ
The bronze Polar Bear & Cubs sculpture is about nine feet long. It was created by Dollores Shelledy and installed in Mesa in 2007. It was designed for children to climb on. These photos are from 2012. By 2015, the sculpture was gone. I don't know if it left town or was moved to another spot. There is another casting of this sculpture at Sea World in Orlando, FL.

Polar Bear
Tawas City, MI		 Polar Bear
Elmira, NY		 Polar Bear
Spring, TX
This Polar Bear in Tawas City stands in front of the North Star Motel. The bear wears different outfits throughout the year. [map]

The Polar Bear in Elmira stands on the roof of the Maple Lawn Dairy Bar. They opened in 1962 with a giant metal ice cream cone sign on the roof. The bear is dressed in various outfits throughout the year. [map]

The Polar Bear in Spring was installed in front of Conroe Taxidermy. The fiberglass statue was built in 1989. The space now houses a CBD Dispensary but the statue remains. [map]

Polar Bear & Iceberg
Great Falls, MT
This concrete and plaster Polar Bear & Iceberg was installed on the roof of the Iceberg Cafe in the 1920s. The entire building was styled to look like a block of ice. Forced to relocate for the construction of a bank in 1955, the Iceberg Cafe moved to its current location. The Polar Bear & Iceberg were also moved and put on the roof. At some point, the business became known as the Polar Bear Cafe. In 1985, it became Leonor's Family Restaurant. The following year, the statue was repainted. The polar bear was painted black and the iceberg was painted to look like mountains. In 1990, it became the Polar Bear Cafe again and the sculpture was painted white. In recent years, the building has housed a check cashing business. It is now a tattoo studio but the statue remains. [map]

Polar Bear
McAlester, OK		 Polar Bear
Ada, OK		 Polar Bear
Tulsa, OK
This Polar Bear statue in McAlester is located at the Polar Bear Store convenience store at a Sinclair gas station. [map]

This Polar Bear statue in Ada is part of the sign located at Dependable Heating & Air Conditioning. It was installed sometime between 2013 and 2016. [map]

This bronze Polar Bear statue in Tulsa was installed in front of the Tulsa County Courthouse in 2018. The statue was created by Paul Rhymer. It is one of 30 sculptures installed in Tulsa since 1994 as part of a monuments program with NatureWorks. [map]

Polar Bear
La Crosse, WI
(now Onalaska, WI)		 Polar Bear
Homewood, IL		 Polar Bears [gone]
White Bear Lake, MN
The Polar Bear in La Crosse was installed on the roof of Paul's Heating & Air Conditioning. The store also had a polar bear and seal in the window that were taxidermied after an Alaskan hunt in 1971. This photo was taken in 2007. In 2010, the store moved to Onalaska, WI. The bear is now displayed there on top of the store's sign. [map]

This Polar Bear in Homewood is located on someone's front lawn. This photo is from 2009. I didn't make note of the address, so I don't know if it is still there. Does anyone know where it's located?

These Polar Bears in White Bear Lake were installed in front of the Twin City Nursery. This photo is from 2011. The business closed in 2014 and the statues were removed. I believe they were sold so they may reappear somewhere.

Polar Bear
Larimore, ND
This Polar Bear statue is part of the city's welcome sign. It has been there since at least 2007. The high school sports teams' mascot in the polar bear. [map]

Polar Chevrolet
White Bear Lake, MN
Polar Chevrolet features a 35-foot-tall polar bear statue. The fiberglass and steel bear was installed in 1964. The artist that created him, Gordon Shumaker, is also responsible for other giant statues in Minnesota including the Smokey Bear in International Falls, the Big Ole Viking in Alexandria, the Gopher at the St. Paul Fairgrounds, and the Bluegill in Orr. This polar bear statue weighs several tons. It was originally installed on a post in front of the dealership which was then known as Thane-Hawkins Chevrolet. The statue was a frequent target of local kids who shot arrows at it. To discourage this practice, the dealership moved it to the roof in 1971. However, the statue moved a bit in high winds which caused concern. Therefore, the statue was moved to a new post in 1986. The bear wore painted-on swimming trunks of different designs from around 1986-2004. The statue also wore sunglasses for a while. During a period of road construction, the statue wore a hard hat and tool belt. The smiling bear has remained white and unadorned in recent years. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

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