Hershey Bears Teddy Bear Toss 2019

Sunday, December 1, was the day that many Hershey Bears fans had been waiting for. Teddy Bear Toss. Many Hershey Bears fans collect stuffed animals all year long for this one night where the Hershey Bears host their Teddy Bear Toss to collect stuffed animals for area charities.

We are no different. The guys have been Hershey Bears Season Ticket-holders for the last 3 years, and Teddy Bear Toss night is one that they look forward to all year long. I’ve kind of gotten in on the fun by scoping out the after holiday sales to add to our stash all year long. While this is the most we’ve personally collected, there are many fans who collect a whole lot more! Ours is really just a small group, but all that the fans together collect can become a HUGE amount!

Coco Comes Prepared

Coco, the Hershey Bears mascot, even came prepared with his own teddy bear to toss. He had the fans ready for when that first Hershey Bears goal would be scored. When the stuffed animals would rain down onto the ice…

Not Too Manly to Carry a Teddy Bear

What I love about Teddy Bear Toss night is that so many people participate. No one seems “too manly” to carry a stuffed animal. It is amazing how many guys come bearing either giant stuffed animals or bags of stuffed animals to toss! On the right is Jarrod Wronski, PA announcer for the Hershey Bears. He certainly was dressed for the season while carrying his giant bear. It was funny to watch him toss down his smaller stuffed animals from the press booth.

As the game started, we waited with bated breath for the first goal, which would signal the rain of stuffed animals. Who would make that goal? We didn’t have to wait too terribly long before Christian Djoos, who had just been sent back from the Washington Capitals for the game, made the first goal. Then, came the stuffed animals…

As you can see, there were certainly a lot of bears coming down to the ice!

Copley Helps Bear

It was quickly apparent that not all the stuffed animals would make it comfortably into the center of the ice. Several of the animals got stuck on the netting or on the glass. In these photos, goalie Phoenix Copley is helping one of the teddy bears off the glass.

Vanecek Tosses Bear

While the stuffed animals were being sorted and bagged to be moved off the ice. Many of the Hershey Bears players were helping move the animals to their various piles. In these photos, goalie Vitek Vanecek is tossing one of the larger bears to its respective pile. I think Vitek should win a teddy bear tossing championship!

New Teddy Bear Toss Record

As you can see, there were 45,650 stuffed animals collected! We shattered our previous record from last year of just over 34,000. Obviously, there weren’t 45,650 down on the ice, but there were groups from around the area that collect all year and brought their collections in earlier in the afternoon. For instance, Gabby’s Acts of Kindness collected over 10,000 throughout the year that is part of the total.

I can’t wait to see the Hershey Bears Teddy Bear Toss again next year! Here’s to starting a new season of stuffed animal collecting. Go Bears!