They started popping up in late October on apartment balconies, in outdoor cafes, even in the Metro stations of Paris’s Gobelins neighbourhood – an adorable army of giant stuffed teddy bears. Neighbors finally figured out that a local bookseller named Philippe Labourel was behind the cuddly stunt. “It’s a fun way to bring our community together,” says Michel Leroy, who has helped Philippe spread the warm, fuzzy joy across social media – and all the way to New York City, where at least one bear made a recent appearance “to make more people smile!”