The Hershey Bears, a professional ice hockey team, have once again made history by establishing a groundbreaking new world record.
The teddy bear toss world record, of course, belongs to the Hershey Bears.
Last January, fans in Hershey donated a world record 67,309 toys 🎁pic.twitter.com/zKJXHlxmcX
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) December 3, 2023
It centres around the expressive “GIANT Teddy Bear Toss” that took place during a Sunday game against the Bridgeport Islanders.
This charitable event broke all previous records with a staggering 67,309 teddy bears and stuffed animals collected from fans.
For many years, the Hershey Bears have been recognized as a team that goes beyond just playing hockey.
They’ve established an impressive legacy through various philanthropic activities, including the iconic Teddy Bear Toss.
This isn’t their first time surpassing their record the team set the previous world record in 2022, collecting 52,341 stuffed animals.
The joy of the Teddy Bear Toss event is traditionally highlighted by a unique rule:
fans throw their stuffed toys onto the ice following the first goal scored by Hershey Bears in the game.
However, in this recent game, Hershey Bears didn’t manage to secure a goal against the Bridgeport Islanders, ending in a 2-0 defeat.
Despite the outcome, the sea of stuffed toys still made their way onto the ice, making a visually stunning spectacle.
The Teddy Bear Toss isn’t just a game event it’s a philanthropic initiative. Now in its 17th year, this event ensures the donated teddy bears and other toys collected during the game are given to local charities and organizations.
The Sweigart Family Foundation pledged its support by announcing a $50,000 donation to Children’s Miracle Network due to the Bears’ exceptional achievement.
The massive task of collecting, counting, and sorting over 67,000 stuffed toys was facilitated by dozens of volunteers.
They included team members from Hershey Entertainment & Resorts (HE&R), Children’s Miracle Network Hershey (CMN), and the Hershey Junior Bears, all coming together in the spirit of community service.
The toys were efficiently organized and bagged, by more than 110 volunteers.
The collected toys were dispersed to more than 35 local organizations in the region. These include Bethesda Mission, Boys & Girls Club of Harrisburg, the Hershey Food Bank, and Falcon Packs.
Collectively, since 2001, the Hershey Bears have collected an astonishing 389,508 teddy bears.
