Buddy Bears

Buddy Bears are fibreglass, 6ft tall statues that were created in 2001 and painted with the colours and symbols of different countries world wide, and placed for a short period of time in a circle around the Brandenburg gate before being redistributed around the city, so that spotting them becomes an interactive game in itself. The form of the Bear is a symbol of Berlin, and the colour represents a tolerance of other cultures and the ideas of unification and peace between nations. They tie in the old with the new. The old being the form of the Berlin Bear and their placement around d the Brandenburg Gate (which itself has also been the spot of Nazi Rallies), and the new being the modern colours and the material. They seemed to capture the spirit of the City today, a harmonious look to the future with an acceptance and remorse for the past.

I myself spotted them in fish tanks, fountains, street corners, museums, animal cages, and restaurants.

See image here