'Wild Thing' Bernard stolen from Bellingham store

ISABELLE DILLS - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

E-Mail

Print Reprint

Text Size:

tool goes here

BELLINGHAM - Where did the wild thing go?

A 2-foot-tall stuffed animal named Bernard, a character from the film "Where the Wild Things Are," was stolen from a display at Little Tiger Toys in Bellingham on Black Friday, Nov. 27.

The toy cost $100 and was "a great visual display" for the rest of the store located at 1417 Railroad Ave., manager Selah Tay-Song said.

A cashier for Little Tiger Toys believes the stuffed animal was taken sometime between 12:30 and 1 p.m. when there were multiple customers in the store.

"Having it taken from under an employee's nose during the busiest time of the day was a slap in the face," Tay-Song said in an e-mail.

The incident was reported to Bellingham Police. There are no suspects at this time, said Mark Young, spokesman for the Bellingham Police Department.

Other small, inexpensive items have been stolen from the store since it opened in October 2008, but "this is the first expensive item to make a dent in the store's budget," Tay-Song said.

She said she plans on getting security cameras and perhaps hiring extra staff to discourage future thefts. As for Bernard, Tay-Song said she's thinking about offering a reward for his return.

"It would be nice to get him back and see justice served, even if he isn't in a condition to sell," she said. "It's hard to feel powerless. All I can do is make sure this isn't so easy for them next time."