Pub landlord overjoyed after beloved stolen badger toy is returned: 'Perfect ending!'

Georgia Pearce
Fri, 03 Apr 2026 16:47:45 +0000

A pub landlord has expressed his joy after his beloved pub teddy was returned after being stolen.

After issuing a desperate plea on GB News, Callum Brooks, landlord at the Oddfellow Arms in Wimborne declared the stuffed toy badger is now "safe and sound" after the thief returned the boozer's much-loved icon.

Last Friday, Mr Badger was believed to have been taken by a drunken customer of the Oddfellows who had been spied holding the toy.

Mr Badger had sat in the window of the pub for the past 35 years before being taken, prompting Mr Brooks to create wanted posters in hope of his return.

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Sharing the good news with GB News, Mr Brooks waved Mr Badger in front the camera as he told host Martin Daubney: "Now he's back, he's back safe and sound.

"He's well nourished and he's extremely happy. I'm so delighted to have him back."

Unveiling the culprit who took Mr Badger from his home, the landlord revealed that the thief had taken the stuffed toy after "a few drinks", but wished to return him to his rightful owner.

Mr Brooks said: "I got a phone call from the lady this morning, and it was a few drinks too many that resulted in a bit of a prank.

"It kind of escalated and escalated until the fact that she's become notified and ultimately she's done a very brave and admirable thing, which I have a lot of respect for.

"So Badger has been extremely well cared for, and the story's got the perfect ending, which we hoped."

Mr Brooks also revealed that the thief had tried to return Mr Badger the following morning, but found the pub doors to be "locked".

He recalled: "She drove him round, she had a cup of tea, and he's now got a lovely scarf on. She did intend to bring him back Saturday morning, but we was closed.

"Then life got carried away for a couple of days, and before she knew it, it had blown up."

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As well as a new scarf for Mr Badger, Mr Brooks told GB News that the thief made a sizeable donation to a Badger charity, a cause close to his heart.

He said: "She's made a charitable donation to the badger charity as well of £100, and all's well that ended well. There's a few lessons to be learned and maybe a few pubs can now stick up for themselves.

"It's not okay to take, but huge respect for her for owning the mistake. And that's a great life lesson for me, so we're very happy at the Oddfellows, and we can look forward to a lovely weekend now with our locals."

Asked by Martin whether he will take extra precautions in displaying Mr Badger in the pub's window from now on, Mr Brooks joked that due to the "amount of coverage" they've had, people will be "scared to touch him".

Mr Brooks said: "I think with the amount of coverage we've had, I could probably leave £1,000 in an envelope down there and they'd be scared to touch it now.

"But now our badger display is looking great, as is the pub, so we should have a great weekend."

Praising the landlord for his handling of the theft, Martin concluded: "It's an absolutely magnificent story. I'm so glad it has a happy ending, and hats off to the lady for bringing it back.

"We've all made mistakes while we've had a few drinks, I certainly have, and you were very magnanimous and charitable in your approach, you didn't want any trouble."