Beloved teddy bear left at Milwaukee Airport back home where it belongs
The good news is that 5-year-old Ezekiel Burnett of Euless, Texas, is back together with a beloved teddy bear he’s had since he was a baby.
But just as heartwarming is the story behind how “Original Teddy” found his way back into Ezekiel’s arms. The lost and found tale includes a holiday trip to see grandma, kids being kids, a rush to make the flight home, big hearts at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE) and the internet.
For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
As Ezekiel’s dad, David, told TPG, after a Thanksgiving holiday visiting relatives in Wisconsin, the family was flying home to Texas out of MKE. “We were in the terminal; our kids were blowing off steam. And we're in the kiddie play area just trying to release some energy and Ezekiel started throwing his teddy bear up in the air.”
Somehow the teddy bear got stuck up in the rafters. “I told Ezekiel I didn’t think we were going to be able to get it down. And as soon as I said that the flight started boarding and we had to leave.”
Burnett said an upset Ezekiel told the gate agents that he lived in Euless, Texas, and asked them to send him the teddy bear if they could get it down. But when he got on the plane, Ezekiel became distraught because he realized the gate agents didn’t have his street address. “That’s when he lost it,” said Burnett. “He cried the entire way home.”
Somehow, the teddy bear stayed stuck in the rafters for several months and was only turned in at MKE’s Airport Information Desk as a found item when it fell out of rafters in early January. That’s when the team at MKE went into action, turning to social media in hopes of finding the lost teddy bear’s owner.
Millions of people saw MKE’s social media posts about the lost bear. And finally, Ezekiel’s mom spotted the bear on a Facebook post a friend had shared. “She couldn’t even speak. Her hands were shaking,” David Burnett told TPG.
The Burnetts contacted MKE and shared photos of Ezekiel and the teddy bear that proved the teddy bear was indeed Ezekiel’s “And, honestly, I just thought they would send the bear back to us in a box via USP or FedEx,” Burnett said.
But instead, MKE and Southwest Airlines flew Ezekiel and his dad to Milwaukee for a reunion held this past Tuesday. And they pulled out all the stops.
There were streamers, balloons, an archway, and swag for Ezekiel that included hats, T-shirts and other fun stuff from the airport and from Southwest Airlines.
One of the gifts MKE gave Ezekiel is a new teddy bear in a pilot’s outfit that he named, appropriately “Pilot Teddy.” That meant the bear Ezekiel had flown in to retrieve needed a name too. Ezekiel now calls his first teddy bear “Original Teddy” and told TPG that the whole adventure made him “super happy and super excited.”
Ezekiel’s dad told TPG he was impressed with the “tremendous hospitality and genuineness” that the airport and Southwest Airlines showered on his son. “It was just a teddy bear. But they made Ezekiel feel important and that really meant a lot to us.”
The reunion also meant a lot to MKE. In addition to the satisfaction of reuniting a boy with his beloved teddy bear, the event helped Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport set records on all its social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.
“In fact, the MKE Airport TikTok page now has more followers than any airport in the world,” said Harold Mester, MKE’s director of public affairs and marketing. “And this is helping us promote MKE as an easy, travel-friendly airport that genuinely cares about its passengers.”
Fans of MKE already know the airport is travel-friendly. In addition to a post-security “Recombobulation Area,” amenities at MKE include a free aviation museum – the Mitchell Gallery of Flight – a winter coat check service and Renaissance Books, offering a surprisingly wide collection of new, used and rare books.
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Rewards Rate
3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
2X | Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery in the U.S. and at U.S. supermarkets. |
1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles50,000 Bonus MilesAnnual Fee
$250Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Excellent/Good
Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees