How did the 'snow bear' creator make its belly button?
Thursday, January 31, 2019, 5:58 PM - Sometime overnight Tuesday, someone — or some people — made a giant snow bear on the Lachine Canal, near Beaudoin Street in the Montreal neighbourhood of Saint-Henri.
(UPDATED: The mystery has been SOLVED! Keep reading for the most popular theories, take your guess, then CLICK HERE to see if you were right)
It's a delightful bear, carefully conceived and expertly executed.
(RELATED: Instant karma for man who tries to destroy snowman)
The bear's outline was stamped out right next to a footbridge crossing the canal in southwest Montreal — a prime location for picture-taking.
But how did its mysterious makers do the belly button?
This snow bear appeared Wednesday morning on the Lachine Canal in Montreal. (Kate McKenna/CBC)
It's hard to tell from the picture, but the bear is giant. There are easily two metres between the the bear's sides and the belly button.
That's not an easy jump.
So how did they make the belly button?
Here are some theories making the rounds on social media.
1. THE ARTIST JUMPED
This is a widely held theory.
Occam's razor — the philosophical principle that the simplest explanation is the correct one — would suggest they jumped.
But it's a problematic theory.
First, the bear is on the canal. It's icy. There are no skid marks in the middle to suggest any slippage.
Second, it's a really long distance to jump. It seems unlikely that anyone would be able to execute a jump so flawlessly without leaving any other marks in the snow.
On to the next theory.
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2. THE ARTIST THREW A SNOWBALL
Again, unless these people are competitive bocce players, it's hard to believe. The belly button is too perfect.
There are four indents in the snow. What are the odds the button's maker threw four perfect snowballs in a row?
Nevertheless, this is a popular theory.
3. DRONES
It is conceivable that a drone dropped snow from the sky to create the belly button.
But that seems a bit elaborate for something that will likely disappear in a couple of days.
4. HOCKEY STICK
Various people have suggested the artist or artists had some sort of stick, such as a hockey stick, to make the belly button.
The bear's eyebrows look like they could have been made by a stick, as well.
5. THE NAVEL INDENTS WERE ALREADY THERE
It's possible there were already four indents in the snow that may just have inspired the idea of making a belly-buttoned bear in the first place.
The timing would be difficult, though.
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It snowed until 5 a.m. Wednesday, and the belly-button indents are exactly the same depth as the outline of the rest of the bear.
The bear, and the indents, would have had to have been made after the snowfall ended.
6. ALIENS
Can't rule them out.
If you have any insight as to how this bear came to be, please get in touch.
This article was written for the CBC by Kate Mckenna.
