--- title: Hungry Halloween Bear Steals Pumpkin and No Gourd Is Safe description: This bear is ready for Halloween. canonical: https://time.com/5695111/bear-steals-pumpkin/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-10-08T14:48:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:00:43.973Z og:title: Hungry Halloween Bear Steals Pumpkin and No Gourd Is Safe og:description: This bear is ready for Halloween. og:url: https://time.com/5695111/bear-steals-pumpkin/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte81d5434d078cecd/698a03f6656a3f401cbd9075/bearpumpkin.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3504 og:image:height: 1971 og:image:alt: Bear Holding Jack O Lantern By Rocks og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Hungry Halloween Bear Steals Pumpkin and No Gourd Is Safe twitter:description: This bear is ready for Halloween. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte81d5434d078cecd/698a03f6656a3f401cbd9075/bearpumpkin.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Halloween Prankster Bear Saunters Up to House to Steal Pumpkin and No Festive Gourd Is Safe. Intentions Are Unclear. > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=483bff24-86da-449c-8f0a-4dc9540d0a57&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Oct 8, 2019 2:48 PM UTC  Ed Gregory / EyeEm;Getty Images/EyeEm by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Oct 8, 2019 2:48 PM UTC If there’s anything to be learned from countless hours spent watching _Winnie the Pooh_ as a child, it’s this: Bears [really like honey](https://time.com/5664393/bear-beekeeper-video/). Turns out that when [honey](https://time.com/5558811/bear-steals-honey/) isn’t available, peckish bears will happily grab a pumpkin. At least that’s the takeaway from a video making the rounds on Facebook, showing a black bear making off with someone’s decorative gourd. As Halloween approaches and humans start decorating their porches with pumpkins and squash, at least one bear sees those seasonally appropriate displays as a snack bar. Christopher Schayer sent their [local NBC News](https://www.facebook.com/WFSB3/videos/1278470912355707/?permPage=1) affiliate a video of a crime against pumpkins in progress. “A pumpkin thief is on the loose in Canton!” [WFSB-TV](https://www.facebook.com/WFSB3/videos/1278470912355707/?permPage=1)[ wrote in a Facebook post](https://www.facebook.com/WFSB3/videos/vb.53108014196/1278470912355707/?type=2&theater) on Monday. The video shows a bear sauntering up to a porch and grabbing a pumpkin like a to-go snack, rolling it off the porch and down the street in [suburban](https://time.com/4006334/bear-cubs-pool-party-new-jersey/) Canton, Connecticut. While it’s unclear what the bear’s intentions are towards the pumpkin (will it eat the pumpkin or will it use it to decorate its den?) one thing is clear: If a bear comes to your door on Halloween, it might not be wearing a costume. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5695111/bear-steals-pumpkin/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5695111/bear-steals-pumpkin/"},"headline":"Halloween Prankster Bear Saunters Up to House to Steal Pumpkin and No Festive Gourd Is Safe. 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