Breaking Bad’s Pink Bear Explained

What was the significance of the pink teddy bear in Breaking Bad? Here’s a detailed explanation of the stuffed animal and how it served as an important symbol in the series.

The pink teddy bear first appeared ahead of Breaking Bad season 2 as it was featured in one of the show’s webisodes. During the music video of Jesse Pinkman’s (Aaron Paul) band TwaüghtHammër, the bear could be seen towards the end of the footage. The pink bear then appeared in the season 2 premiere as it was being taken out of Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) pool and put into an evidence bag. At the end of the season, we learned that the charred teddy bear was a piece of the wreckage from the plane explosion above Albuquerque.

The bear was used in a series of flashforward scenes within season 2 before the story of the plane crash was revealed. The object was featured in the opening scenes of four episodes, each scene revealing more than the previous. First the pink bear was shown floating in the pool, and later a person in a hazmat suit was shown fishing it out to put in an evidence bag. By the last scene, Walt was standing in his backyard as he watched the bear fall into the backyard as the rest of the wreckage fell over the area. The scenes were shot in black and white, except the bear, which still held its pink color – leading viewers to believe the toy had a deeper meaning. Also notable was the fact that when all of the episode titles of the teddy bear flashforward scenes were put together, it spelled out “Seven Thirty-Seven Down Over ABQ,” foreshadowing the doomed flight.

As with most recurring props in Breaking Bad, the pink teddy bear served as a symbol. The teddy bear clearly belonged to a small child who was on the plane. That child and all of the other passengers on the commercial airliner were killed when it crashed with a chartered plane. The damage on the bear indicated the damage caused by the explosion, but it also served as a symbol for the collateral damage caused by Walter’s work in the drug trade – from the poisonous impact of meth on communities, to the various characters killed over the course of the show as a result of Walt’s push for more money and power.

After Walt allowed Jane (Krysten Ritter) to die, her father, who happened to be an air-traffic controller, allowed an error to occur during work. He was too grief-stricken to focus on his job, which caused the airliner to crash into the other plane. Walt later found the pink bear’s missing left eyeball in the pool filter. The eyeball was seen in multiple episodes in Breaking Bad season 3 and 4, indicating that Walt hung onto it as a reminder of the event.

The exact meaning behind the teddy bear motif has been debated. Some fans have suggested that the bear was meant to foreshadow Gus Fring’s (Giancarlo Esposito) death later in the series. He too suffered heavy damage to his face in the explosion that took his life. Even though Gus’ injury took place on his right side, it was still far too similar to the bear’s charred face to be a coincidence. Other versions of the pink teddy bear did make an appearance a few more times in Breaking Bad following the plane crash. Gilligan most likely added them in as easter eggs for eagle-eyed viewers to find.

About The Author

Kara Hedash
(1744 Articles Published)

Kara Hedash is a features editor and writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world’s most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara’s not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.

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