Human Skin Teddy Bear By Horror Artist Found Outside A Convenience Store In Victorville

In a surreal game of one-upmanship between art and alarm, a teddy bear that appeared to be made of human skin prompted a police investigation in Victorville, Calif., on July 13. What at first looked like a disturbing find in the parking lot of a convenience store has now unravelled into a shocking and purposely grotesque work of art by South Carolina horror artist Robert Kelly.

The disturbing incident takes place after cops were called to reports of a 'suspicious item' outside an AMPM store. The teddy bear, which was frighteningly lifelike and wrapped in what appeared to be human skin, was a chilling message to Newtown.  After thoroughly examining the bear, the coroner's office determined it did not pose a biological threat as it wasn't made from genuine human remains. Instead, the bear was made with latex and other man-made materials. The sensational realism of the foot had achieved its purpose, though. It horrified onlookers and briefly led the authorities to believe they had come upon some grisly crime.

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Artist Robert Kelly later reported to the police and the media that the teddy bear was, in fact, an original work of his. A purveyor of hyper-realistic horror props and grotesque sculptures for haunted attractions, Kelly had mailed the bear to a customer in Victorville just a week earlier. It's unclear why the customer decided to leave the teddy in public. Kelly, who traffics in the macabre in his work, has not been accused of a crime. Still, the episode has rekindled discussion about the fine line that separates shock art and public safety. When does a disturbing work of art step over a line by being confused for evidence of a real-life horror?

Although officials ultimately determined that the teddy bear posed no threat, the incident serves as a chilling example of how art, especially art meant to be provocative, can often be misinterpreted. Whether it was a publicity stunt failure or just a poor misunderstanding is up for debate, but Kelly's "human skin" teddy bear achieved what horror art should: it elicited emotion, sparked conversation, and scared the hell out of everyone. And it even sparked a full-blown police investigation in this case.