As recommended by tytoalba1, conedison & chemster
Shardik is the title of a fantasy novel written by Richard Adams, who also wrote Watership Down. Covering the themes of religion and destiny, the book tells the story of a hunter who is looking for Shardik, a bear who the people of Ortelga see as a reincarnation of God Photograph: PR
As recommended by ladybay, WritersFrock and madbear
Ladybay tells us that her ex-husband can “still goes misty-eyed over Mary Plain”, the creation of Welsh author Gwynedd Rae. According to WritersFrock, Mary is “funny, sharp and smarter than the average bear”, first appearing in the 1930 novel Mostly Mary Photograph: Irene Williamson
As recommended by yoboboy & MyBearWritesthis
The world's favourite glove puppet bear holds the Guinness World Record title for the longest-running children's television programme in the UK, first airing in 1955 and still running today. The original Sooty cost only 7s 6d (38p) and was bought on Blackpool North pier by Harry Corbett in 1948 Photograph: ITV / Rex Features
As recommended by Carl Sixsmith, Adrien Mercier & MartyMcFlytipper
MartyMcFlytipper reminds of the cameo Gentle Ben had in the Simpsons, where he tried to eat all the food on a Jeremy Kyle-style talk show. The bear is one of the main characters in Walt Morey's 1965 novel, Gentle Ben, which was later turned into a film and a TV series Photograph: Courtesy Everett Collection/REX
As recommended by MartyMcFlytipper
Featuring in the Hofmeister beer adverts in the 1980s, this bear wore a shiny velour jacket. He was a bear of the people, whose pastimes included dancing around in bars and playing for the local football team Photograph: PR
As recommended by MyBearwritesthis
According to the biography on his website, Misery Bear is: “lonely, bored, depressed, borderline-alcoholic, fluffy and desperately in need of love.” The melancholy mammal famously told Geri Halliwell that she was his favourite Spice Girl on 2012's Children in Need Photograph: PR
As recommended by Jantar
Dutchman Marten Toonder created Oliver B Bumble, one of the main characters in his comic book series of the same name. Jantar calls the Bumble cartoon, which first appeared in the dutch newspaper De Telegraf, Toonder's “most famous creation” Photograph: Marten Toonder
As recommended by SpoilheapSurfer & foodycatAlicia
This cuddly, friendly, but accident-prone bear starred in a story book containing short tales that range from him being sold accidentally in a jumble sale to racing down the hill in an unguarded pram Photograph: PR
As recommended by hapenne and woollybear
Peppy is the polar bear known for gracing the packets of Fox's Glacier Mints. He's the oldest bear on this list, first appearing on the packages of the boiled mints in 1922. Reader woollybear reminds us that there is a real version of Peppy – Fox's Confectionery commissioned a taxidermist to stuff a real polar bear, which was put on display at big sporting events and carnivals. It now resides in New Walk Museum in Leicester Photograph: Finnbarr Webster/Alamy
As recommended by literatin, Adrien Mercier and JackSkeleton
SuperTed, a bear of Welsh heritage, starred in one of the biggest British cartoon hits of the 80s. The show's writer, Mark Young, originally created SuperTed as a series of stories to stop his son being scared of the dark. After the books were released, the cartoon ran from the end of 1983 to 1985. Spotty, who later became SuperTed's accomplice, brought a teddy bear to life with cosmic dust, turning him into SuperTed Photograph: PR
