California residents recently got a bear of a surprise. 

After a teddy bear seemingly covered in human skin was found on the ground outside of a Victorville, Calif., convenience store on July 13, police were forced to investigate, ultimately discovering that there was no cause for concern. 

The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department was called to the AMPM convenience store after receiving a call about an object that they believed to be covered in human remains, according to ABC News. After arriving at the scene, where the toy bear had been left outside of the store on the ground, the authorities enlisted the coroner's office to pick up the object and investigate its makeup, per the outlet. 

However, the officials' research proved that there was no reason for alarm. In fact, the teddy bear was actually made out of latex by South Carolina-based artist Robert Kelly. 

The creator—who specializes in horror special effects and haunted attractions—confirmed to ABC News that he shipped one of his "human skin" teddy bears to a customer located in Victorville the week prior. 

E! News reached out to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department for comment but has not heard back. 

And while Kelly didn't know that his creation would cause such a stir, he admitted that he doesn't see the ordeal as all bad. 

"I guess I'd probably be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying it a little bit," Kelly told ABC News July 13. "You know, I'm an independent artist, so you know, I know what starving artist life feels like. So, a little attention is sometimes good regardless of not being able to condone whatever."

As for whether he believes his customer intended to incite panic in his area? Kelly's not entirely sure. 

"I don't know if the guy broke any laws or it was just a prank," the artist explained, "but it looks like he definitely got some people riled up."

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