The Teddy Bear Master
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- 2006
| The Teddy Bear Master | |
|---|---|
Release date |
|
Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Teddy Bear Master is a 2006 American film produced by a group of high school students which depicts a teacher being harassed by teddy bears during class, then later being killed by them, after he humiliates a student. The 78-minute film attracted international attention when it became the subject of two separate legal actions, firstly after the school expelled the students involved, then later when a math teacher who shared the surname of the teacher in the film sued the producers for provoking "reasonably foreseeable emotional disturbance or trauma".
The boys – Isaac Imel, Harrison Null, Charlie Ours, and Cody Overbay,[1] students at Knightstown Intermediate School in Indiana – worked on the film through the 2005–06 academic year,[2] giving it a limited release on DVD among friends in Summer 2006.[3] Their film depicted a teacher by the name of Clevenger being harassed – and later killed – by evil teddy bears, and the choice of name displeased their Mathematics teacher, who was also named Clevenger.[1] Seeing the film as a threat to Clevenger, the school expelled the students. Two of the boys later sued, with a third joining the lawsuit later on, and they were eventually re-instated.[4] Clevenger then launched a separate legal action against the four students for damages.[1]