The artist that worked on the American bear was Bill C. Ray, an Alaskan painter who is based in his own studio in Berlin, Germany.
It's quite easy to associate the bear with the Statue of Liberty because the artist did such a good job at making sure the important elements are there.
The bear has irisless eyes and wears a diadem just like the Statue of Liberty, with spokes emanating out to represent rays of light. The difference is that the spokes are more rounded to make the bear look less menacing (in my opinion), and also there are six spokes instead of the seven on the Statue of Liberty. I have no idea why there is a missing spoke, it was probably an oversight by the artist, or maybe it was intentionally done. I am not quite sure.
The bear also holds a torch on its right hand, but since its left hand is also raised, it does not hold a tabula ansata (tablet) like the original Statue of Liberty.
United Buddy Bears exhibition will continue until the middle of February at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, so be sure to check these bears out if you haven't. Next post I will feature another bear representing another country so stay tuned!
For the first post in the United Buddy Bears series, go here: United Buddy Bears - The Malaysian Bear
