Some years ago, kiddies perusing the soft toy aisle received a lesson in discerning the abstract from the concrete. Someone had methodically removed teddy bears’ fluffy innards, replacing the stuffing with hardened cement. Affixed to the concrete bears was the following label:

Unfortunate child, do not mistake me for a living thing, nor seek in me the warmth denied you by your parents. For beneath my plush surface lies a hardness as impervious and unforgiving as this World’s own indifference to your mortal struggle. Hold on to me when you are sad, and I will weigh you down, but bear this weight throughout your years, and it will strengthen your limbs and harden your will so that one day no man dare oppose you.

The manufacturer listed on the bears’ tags was Brutal Truth Toys.

Something about your comment made me remember the Cacophony Society and the concrete teddybear