IzzyVanHalen wrote:
Well, that's... unexpected. And a bit sad.  People would, apparently, rather play with teddy bears than read.
Well, the belief is that sales are down due to increased sales of e-books, plus sales by online retailers like Amazon.  So people are reading, but maybe on their e-readers instead of a printed book.

Here's my theory on how the meeting went at which it was decided to branch out into teddy bears:

"O.K.  Book sales are tanking.  What other business can we expand into to compensate for the loss of revenue?"
 
"Uh . . . toothpaste?"
 
"Hand grenades?"
 
"Toilet plungers?"
 
"Zambonis?"
 
"Radioactive waste disposal?"
 
"Steel bear traps?"
 
"Hmmmm.  Bear traps . . . I like it."
 
"Potentially dangerous.  Might be problems with insurance . . . "
 
"Let's see . . . bear traps . . . bears . . . I'VE GOT IT!  TEDDY BEARS!!!  WE'LL SELL TEDDY BEARS!!!"