You may have seen this photo of a forlorn teddy bear propped up against a trash can at Los Angeles International Airport posted by the Transportation Security Administration on its Instagram account.

Many travelers assumed the bear belonged to a child and lashed out at the TSA for bragging about confiscating the 9-foot stuffed animal.

As it turns out, the bear named Brodie belongs to YouTuber Jake Paul, 19. He devised the stunt to see if he could get the bear on the plane. He bought a ticket for the furry fella and told airport agents that the giant teddy was a gift for his girlfriend. He admits there is a 50-50 change of losing him according to a video he posted and has been viewed more than 481,000 times

The fury started when TSA posted the picture with this caption: "Why does this gigantic teddy bear look so sad? He was abandoned by his owners at LAX after the airline and TSA determined that he was just too big to be screened as a carry-on and taken on the plane. It's a good idea to check with your airline prior to traveling with overly large items as carry-ons. If you see this wayward bear strolling the streets of LA, please feel free to feed him."

It was all meant to show the problems that large items can pose when being carried on a plane, said Bob Burns on the TSA's blog.

"If you're traveling with an oversized item, please check with your airline first and be prepared for possibly having to check it once you arrive at the airport," Burns wrote. "Our officers don't enjoy having to tellyou that something won't fly."