With winter well upon us, we all need to find ways to entertain ourselves that don’t involve frostbite. Video games are great and all, but you have to put the controller down eventually, and you can only watch so much Netflix.
So, how about solving a mystery? The internet has a fun one right now, and there are a few good theories going around.
A snowstorm can be many things: Magical, romantic, beautiful, festive, annoying, or even dangerous.
It’s also an opportunity to either get comfortable at home in your pajamas, or to bundle up in a your parka and head outside for some good, wholesome fun.
Some unknown person or people in Canada clearly thought the latter about a recent snowfall.
Locals in Montreal’s Saint-Henri neighborhood woke up to a curious sight on the Lachine canal, where someone had shuffled out an image of a bear in their snow boots.
However, it came with a mystery. How the heck did the bear get its belly button?
Ever since CBC reporter Kate McKenna posted a pic of the Lachine canal bear, people having been sharing their theories.
It is a doozy of a mystery. There are no boot marks near the belly button, and it’s easily a two meter jump from one side to the middle. So how did that mark get made?
Some say that it’s clearly the landing mark after a jump.
Despite the distance and the relatively clean area where the imprint is, some maintain that the mark was left by a pair of boots after what must have been a heck of a standing jump, and then another one to leave.
There are a few problems with this backstory, though.
This bear was carved out on a canal — if the artist(s) jumped, there would likely be some slippage, and some skid marks to show. Even penguins slip!
Another issue is the fact that it’s quite a jump from one side of the bear to the center.
There would definitely be some other scuffs and divots around the area if someone was to make that giant leap.
So all in all, a jump just doesn’t fit the crime — or canvas.
Another popular theory is that someone tossed a snowball or four to make the belly button.
If so, that’s a pretty impressive grouping to make a pristine navel with only four well placed projectiles.
This snowball theory has some flaws, too.
Unless the people who made this big bear had impeccable aim, it would be pretty dang hard to place four snowballs perfectly together.
There’s no room for mistakes, so all four would’ve had to be thrown consecutively — so unless they were Buddy the elf, it’s not likely.
Others suggest a high-tech solution: Drones.
For me, that seems unlikely. While it’s technically possible, I just don’t think anyone would take a drone out just to mark a belly button on a giant bear.
That’s a lot of trouble to go through just for that.
There would be nothing more Canadian that if the belly button were made with a hockey stick, as some suggested.
And it looks like one might have been used to make the bear’s eyes, so this one might have some merit.
Could be a reach, but let’s call this one a definite maybe.
Perhaps a more engineered technique was used.
Although, this seems like a lot of work for a bear that was carved out with people’s boots.
Others had some more imaginative ideas about how that belly button got there.
Wouldn’t that be the cutest winter miracle? A bit of Frosty magic.
The theory that seems to make the most sense, and would have been easiest to accomplish, is if the belly button was already there.
Mind you, who sees four little divots in the snow and thinks, ‘Hey, that would make the perfect belly button for a giant bear’? But it would explain a lot!
When in doubt, though, it’s always nice to have an old school meme to rely on.
Plus, who’s to say it wasn’t aliens? There’s definitely crop-circle vibes surrounding this bear!
What’s your theory?
