By Heather Taylor<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve ever spotted a delivery truck from Bimbo Bakeries, you\u2019ve probably seen the image of an adorable, fuzzy bear wearing an apron painted on the truck\u2019s side. This is Osito, the Bimbo Bear mascot for Grupo Bimbo<\/a> and Bimbo Bakeries USA<\/a>. If you weren\u2019t able to head to this year\u2019s Rise & Shine Tour where Osito had his own hot air balloon<\/a>, we\u2019ve arranged the ultimate meet and greet in this post with fun facts you may not know about this sweet icon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. He\u2019s 65 years old.<\/strong> Osito Bimbo was born from Grupo Bimbo\u2019s and Bimbo\u2019s brand representatives in 1945. Jaime Jorba, one of Bimbo\u2019s founding partners, had brought a Christmas card with an illustration of a bear to one of the initial founder gatherings. After seeing it, the founders unanimously agreed on a bear as their brand mascot, seeing the animal as a symbol of goodness and sweetness that would also represent their baked products with pride. Anita Mata Sendra, the wife of founder Jaime Sendra, drew the earliest Osito sketches as seen above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. There are several origin stories behind Osito\u2019s name.<\/strong> In Spanish, Osito<\/em> means \u201cbear.\u201d However, there are a few explanations behind the word \u201cBimbo.\u201d In one story, the name derives from Bambino<\/em>, which means \u201clittle boy\u201d in Italian. It may also hail from the Catalan words B\u00e9 Bo<\/em> which mean \u201cvery good.\u201d In fact, it has been said that this is what one of Bimbo\u2019s founders said in Catalan after tasting one of the first loaves of bread that came out of the oven!<\/p>\n\n\n\n