A few thoughts on the "Bear Behind You" comic that went viral

Bear with me as I share some thoughts about this special Throwback Thursday comic.

I posted this comic one year ago (Aug. 25, 2022) on Instagram, and it soon went viral. VERY viral.

The numbers still seem surreal: 59 million impressions (the total number of times the post was seen); 37 million unique accounts reached; 766k likes; 577 comments.

Prior to my posting of “Bear Behind You”, I’d had quite a few other cartoons and comics that did really well (two shark posts got nearly 600k likes each).

But “Bear Behind You” became my most popular post by far, and it still tops the list. I realize that some strange stuff goes viral, so I’ve given up trying to figure out why this one did so well. Your theories are welcome!

Instagram’s ever-changing algorithm — which rewards Reels above all else — hasn’t been so kind to me in recent months. The vast majority of my followers aren’t even seeing my posts regularly.

So I’d like to give a huge bear hug to all of you who DO see my work and continue to support me with your likes, comments, shares and all that good stuff! You are truly keeping Captain Scratchy afloat!