Yes we did. People put them in their windows or at their mail boxes esp when the heavier lockdowns were on and people were not going into shops except for essentials. We were allowed out for exercise and walks and it was done to keep the kids calm and happy. It became a game for the kids to see how many bears they could spot. Some people were very inventive the way they displayed their bears. It was kind of cute actually and I admit enjoying seeing them when I would go for a walk. It was a nice relief from the constant covid barrage.
I never read 'We're going on a bear hunt' until I worked in a school library and even after reading it I dont know if the story would have appealed to me when I was child
It was based on that picture book.
Though a picture book was later made called 'the bear in the window'
I recently bought a picture book called 'there are no bears in this book'
though in my library, there seem to be more books about wolves, lions and dinosaurs than bears.
There are so many on native birds that I have a separate shelf just for them. There is also a growing collection of books about unicorns.