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Zellers sets mascot Zeddy free as they prepare for liquidation in new video

Poor, poor Zeddy.

After being the smiling, fuzzy face of Zellers since 1986, teddy bear mascot "Zeddy" has been set free from his duties of taking pictures with small children at Zellers locations across Canada.

In this video, launched on the Zellers Canada YouTube channel in early September, Zellers shows an unnamed 'Executive Managing Director' taking Zeddy on one final drive to be released into the wild:

The video is part of the Zellers marketing campaign to not just spread the word that they're going out of business (soon to be replaced by Target locations in many parts of Canada), but that they're looking for a new home for Zeddy. The company's Facebook page is hosting a contest to give a charitable organization the chance to be Zeddy's new home and receive a $5000 donation.

To prove Zeddy's desperation, Zellers has included a second video, proving that Zeddy's new occupation isn't going to be "wild bear:"

While it isn't anything new for companies to try and promote themselves through (hopefully viral) videos, Zellers gets points for making one that I had to make sure wasn't a spoof. While it might not be quite the instant hit like some others, like this TNT ad that brought drama to a Belgian town, Zellers definitely made sure they'd be remembered in their last hurrah before Target takes over.