'Name your price!' Ripley's offers this Kentucky store big money for Cocaine Bear

Kirby Adams, Louisville Courier Journal
·4 min read
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A post shared by Ripley's Believe It or Not! (@ripleysbelieveitornot)

This story has been updated to reflect a change in who previously owned Cocaine Bear.

In an unabashed plea to acquire Cocaine Bear, arguably the most famous taxidermied bear in the world, Ripley's Believe It or Not! has thrown down the gauntlet in a challenge to Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall in Lexington, Kentucky.

"Name your price!" declared Sabrina Sieck on Ripley's Instagram page.

Ripley's, the American franchise, known for its uber-bizarre collection of items, seems almost desperate to add Cocaine Bear to its assemblage of oddities.

Speaking directly via social media to Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall, Sieck explains, "We'd like to give Pablo Escobear (Cocaine Bear) a home and rank among some of history's most famous hibernators."

The 'Cocaine Bear,' shown at the Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall, was a 175-pound black bear from Chattahoochee National First that supposedly died after eating about 75 pounds of cocaine that was lost by Kentuckian drug smuggler Andrew Thornton in 1985. The Georgia state examiner had the animal taxidermied. March 4, 2020.
The 'Cocaine Bear,' shown at the Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall, was a 175-pound black bear from Chattahoochee National First that supposedly died after eating about 75 pounds of cocaine that was lost by Kentuckian drug smuggler Andrew Thornton in 1985. The Georgia state examiner had the animal taxidermied. March 4, 2020.

The sudden interest in the 175-pound, drug-consuming furry stuffed mammal comes on the heels of the release of Elizabeth Bank's film "Cocaine Bear," which clawed its way to a $23.1 million opening weekend.

What is the true story of Cocaine Bear?

You may know the story of Cocaine Bear, a 175-pound black bear who unfortunately consumed the contents of a duffle bag filled with more than 70 pounds of cocaine. (That's roughly $15 million worth of "blow.")

The drugs were dropped from an airplane by a local drug smuggler, Andrew Thornton. The drug smuggler, who was the son of a wealthy Kentucky family of horse breeders, didn't fare too well either.

More on Cocaine Bear:What's the true story behind Cocaine Bear? Meet Kentucky's wildest, drug-fueled legend

According to a display at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation headquarters, Thornton fell to his death when he bailed out of the plane, "hit his head on the tail of the aircraft" and didn't open his parachute until it was too late.

For the record, Cocaine Bear has gone on quite the journey since he was discovered in 1985, from storage facilities to pawn shops — finally landing at Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall in 2015, where they have worked hard to preserve the story of Cocaine Bear.

Shop owners previously said the bear was once owned by country music legend Waylon Jennings, but in a statement to USA TODAY, a representative for son Shooter Jennings said his father never owned a taxidermy bear. And while Fun Mall representatives have not returned calls for comment, the owners did tell the Wall Street Journal that after inheriting a stuffed bear in 2015, they created a backstory that wove real details about the dead bear "with heavy embellishments."

Besides showcasing the real Cocaine Bear, Kentucky for Kentucky has a hefty supply of Cocaine Bear merchandise for sale including hoodies, t-shirts, ball caps, stickers, socks, soap, comic books and snowglobes.

Why does Ripley's want to buy Cocaine Bear?

Ripley's believes a bear of such notoriety deserves to be displayed among equally prominent company.

If added to Ripley's collection of oddities and historical artifacts, Cocaine Bear would be among some of history's most curious hibernators, like a black bear found with a tire around its waist currently on display at Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Gatlinburg; a grizzly trained in the Russian circus to ride a bicycle; a Kodiak who came face-to-face with a porcupine from Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Amsterdam; and prehistoric cave bear skeletons.

"We are very serious. Cocaine Bear has major historical value," Sieck told the Courier Journal. "We want to give the bear more of a shelf life rather than just being a pop culture blip."

The Cocaine Bear, now shown at the Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall, was a 175-pound black bear from Chattahoochee National Forest that died after eating about 75 pounds of cocaine that was lost by Kentuckian drug smuggler Andrew Thornton in 1985. The Georgia state examiner had the animal taxidermied. March 4, 2020.
The Cocaine Bear, now shown at the Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall, was a 175-pound black bear from Chattahoochee National Forest that died after eating about 75 pounds of cocaine that was lost by Kentuckian drug smuggler Andrew Thornton in 1985. The Georgia state examiner had the animal taxidermied. March 4, 2020.

Responding on Instagram, Kentucky for Kentucky, a state-devoted souvenir shop in Lexington commented, "Oh, it is so on. Bring on the Brinks Truck, baby!"

But Ripley’s has some competition. Since the film’s recent buzz, Kentucky for Kentucky has received multiple offers for Cocaine Bear, ranging from $10,000 to $300,000.

With over five million followers across social platforms, Ripley’s reached an audience of 250,000 on Facebook and Instagram, polling them on whether the company should try and acquire Cocaine Bear or not.

A strong 77.5% of followers agreed ― Cocaine Bear is Ripley-worthy.

The 'Cocaine Bear,' shown at the Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall, was a 175-pound black bear from Chattahoochee National First that supposedly died after eating about 75 pounds of cocaine that was lost by Kentuckian drug smuggler Andrew Thornton in 1985. March 4, 2020.
The 'Cocaine Bear,' shown at the Kentucky for Kentucky Fun Mall, was a 175-pound black bear from Chattahoochee National First that supposedly died after eating about 75 pounds of cocaine that was lost by Kentuckian drug smuggler Andrew Thornton in 1985. March 4, 2020.

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"If Kentucky for Kentucky isn't willing to sell, maybe we will end up getting Cocaine Bear on loan," Seick conceded. "Not ideal, but that option works for us too."

Ripley’s offer is now in the hands of Kentucky for Kentucky and even if the souvenir shop's asking price is too unbearable, we have a strong feeling there will be more to this story. Stay tuned.

Reach Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com or Twitter @kirbylouisville.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Ripley's Believe it or Not wants to buy taxidermied Cocaine Bear