Teddy Bear the Porcupine has discovered the jackpot of pumpkins, and he is understandably beside himself. Crunching down on a bright baby pumpkin, Li'l T emits a shrill cry as he discovers the blessed joys of autumn’s vegetable darling. I’m kind of obsessed with this little spikey dude, because not only is he extremely talkative, but he’s also a very good listener. “Pick it up,” his owner suggests, and Teddy Bear goes ahead and grabs the little pumpkin with two hands and goes to town, even devouring the seeds. All the while, he communicates his sheer joy by making creepy, cute porcupine noises. I can’t decide whether I am scared or in love (and how far apart are these emotions, really?)
Teddy Bear’s unabashed enthusiasm for his pumpkin snack speaks to us on so many levels. Because, truly, this porcupine represents our collective autumnal appreciation. How many times have you wanted to shriek with happy happy joy joy when the Starbucks barista handed you your first PSL of the year? Every. Goddamn. Year. Or when you walk by all the displays at the mall and the mannequins are seductively sporting burnt sienna scarves and cable knit sweaters? Or when your entire Pinterest home page has been hijacked by pumpkin and butternut squash recipes and now all you want to do is make stew and pie and chai tea lattes from scratch and watch the leaves change colors like a thousand chameleons attached to branches? Or when you walk by the Halloween aisle at Target and want to grab all the plastic pumpkins and glow-in-the-dark bats and turn your apartment into a Halloween wonderland for no reason? Autumn basically turn us all into excited porcupines is what I’m trying to say. And if you don't believe me, here's what Teddy Bear the Porcupine as to say:
Image: Youtube
